Scientism

[Eric the Green]

(07-09-2019, 09:50 AM)David Horn Wrote:

(07-09-2019, 04:57 AM)Bill the Piper Wrote:

(07-08-2019, 04:38 PM)Eric the Green Wrote: It was implied early on by Goldwater's appeal to "morality" in his campaign. But the main thrust began in 1978 with the rise of Falwell's "moral majority" and Pat Robertson's TV show and cult, which allowed him to run for president. The moral majority helped elect Reagan, and he and his successors have used the religious right since then to cement their power. Now Trump is effectively advancing their agenda.

Except the fact that there is nothing moral about Trump.

Anyway, the divide between "scientific" Democrats and "religious" Republicans seems to be a 3T thing. Do you think it'll be gone by 1T? Science and religion do not have to be enemies.

There is always tension between mystical and fact-based thinking.  The latter provides an incomplete model, calling for more knowledge to fill in the gaps.  The former tends toward a warm, fuzzy answers that is malleable and indistinct.  Facts versus feelings is always a fraught area.  The GOP has gone full mystic, and the Dems full STEM.  The GOP has won on their "warmth", because the Dems come across as cold.  The GOP can't move far from their perch, but the Dems might integrate a little spirituality into their program without destroying its message.  If they do, it will appeal much more broadly, though the hardcore STEM-types may feel slighted.

That's sort of correct, except in no way can the Republicans be said to have "gone" any "mystic" at all, let alone "full mystic." Mystical knowledge does say that intellectual knowledge has its limits, and republicans and evangelicals are anti-science generally speaking (not always). But these two trends are opposites. Mysticism transcends traditional authoritarian religion. 

Fundamentalists and evangelicals, whom the GOP caters to fully, are not mystics. They are believers in the literal interpretation of ancient myths. Even many religious authorities say that many things stated in the Bible are to be taken symbolically. Myths are stories that point toward mystical or ethical wisdom of some sort, but those who take them literally are not mystics. Mysticism may be fuzzy, but it is not belief. It is knowledge, direct knowledge of the divine as we experience it for ourselves.

I say that the term "mystic" should be applied to genuine mysticism, but I understand your use of the term "mystic" to refer to warm fuzzy feelings and reassuring traditional beliefs that Republicans appeal to, while Democrats can come across as cold and intellectual. Those Democratic candidates who come across that way, tend to lose elections, especially at the presidential level. Democratic candidates can still be pro-science and intellectual, but they need to have the ability to connect with voters in a warm and charismatic way, in order to win. And not only warm, but also "cool," in the slang sense of the term. Americans know instinctively that to be a good presidential leader, you need more than book smarts; you need confidence, good instincts and intuition, and social ability. And these days, they all do refer to "God" and say "God bless America," and that's a way to connect with some more-religious people and not rock the traditionalist boat too much.

In terms of our meme language, mysticism is Turquoise, and folds in the most easily with Green. It also exists deep at the heart of Blue religions, and of Pink and Purple magic. Turquoise altruism connects with Lemon. Many of our greatest mystics appeared at the later stages of the Red meme period-- that age of awakening we call the Axis Age in about 570 BC, until the religious takeover of state power in circa 300 AD. This period is also known as the classical age. This was also the period when the Blue meme was "rising," in the ascendant but not yet in power. Of course, being in power tends to compromise the best aspects of a Meme.

I see the Yellow and Turquoise "higher level" memes as having always existed, but are higher levels of an opposite set of memes. The colors may often provide the clue. Yellow is the higher or enlightened side of the Brown and Orange memes, and of the Red meme.