A fellow writer here on substack (link here) has as his most recent publication a critical analysis of an author pushing the kind of vacuous plastic-traditional schtick I’ve been increasingly encountering coming out from the hub of empire in this time of imperial retreat. I call it ‘identity-crisis politics’, but it’s not really that. It’s a fabrication of the ruling class to basically save it’s own backside by popularising pseudo- traditional cultural woo which inevitably leads to the re-affirming of the established order. It’s been done many times before, sometimes with truly horrific consequences to the majority of ordinary people. I’ve talked about it before, so I just thought I’d republish an edited version of an essay that does point at the (often intentional) confusion between authentic and sincere engagement with both traditional and modern forms of philosophy and the kind of political-agenda driven posery so prevalent (and well funded) of late.
In terms of modernity, we have a movement that involves all regularly recognized aspects of life, from food to heath, and from education to politics and beyond.
Modernity is really nothing more than a single destructive agenda aggressively reinterpreted for all walks of life, therefore we really cannot be surprised when it makes every attempt to invade the territory of the deep self.
In terms of Jung, he was forever caught in the jaws of a profession that to this day is first a seeker of power, and only somewhere down the road interested in the mystery of this life. However, it is a valid criticism to point out that a discipline of knowledge and awareness fails when it enshrines what it deems unknowable.
Much of the invasion of modernity, and the reaction to it lies within the deep self, so as we can conclude, even Jung, who was probably the best we ever got won't, can't help us now.
A prescient essay indeed.
In terms of modernity, we have a movement that involves all regularly recognized aspects of life, from food to heath, and from education to politics and beyond.
Modernity is really nothing more than a single destructive agenda aggressively reinterpreted for all walks of life, therefore we really cannot be surprised when it makes every attempt to invade the territory of the deep self.
In terms of Jung, he was forever caught in the jaws of a profession that to this day is first a seeker of power, and only somewhere down the road interested in the mystery of this life. However, it is a valid criticism to point out that a discipline of knowledge and awareness fails when it enshrines what it deems unknowable.
Much of the invasion of modernity, and the reaction to it lies within the deep self, so as we can conclude, even Jung, who was probably the best we ever got won't, can't help us now.