Matthew Arnold’s Culture and Anarchy (1869) divulges into the concerns he has for the ‘moral and spiritual’ future of society, due to the pressures of the machines and therefore the essence of civilisation was declining. Arnold believed the ‘high cultured’ should be the ones to enforce idealism, to create “the best that has been thought and said in the world”. He saw culture as the strive to perfection and that due the popular culture rejecting this, there would be anarchy. In other words, ‘anarchy’ operates as a synonym for popular culture for Arnold. He believed that education from the elite would be the best pursuit for ‘perfection’ for the “raw and uncultivated”, because the masses wouldn’t know what’s good for them. Not only this but how mass society …show more content…
This means that culture should attempt to be the greatest and to provide knowledge to improve humankind by targeting the “inward condition of the mind and spirit” (REFERENCE). He believed that the social function of culture was to police the working class, or as he called them, the ‘Populace’, as these were the ones causing complications. He saw the habits of the working class masses to not have any worth, as they posed a threat to the stability of society and created a social disorder, due to the lack of spiritual leadership. This is why he saw education and encouragement of culture for the masses as a moral and spiritual guide, which needed to be led by an educated intelligentsia who would look after and promote high culture. This in turn would have been needed to be accessible to the masses (such as in schools) so that growth in society would be achievable. Consequentially, Arnold believed that the industrialisation; the growth of the economy and the demands of business were futile, as intellectual and emotional development had not even been
... and others whom Levine treats are a different breed of reformers because they are concerned only indirectly with morality. But when Brown laments that today’s youth are intellectually wanting and have no connection with their cultural heritage, he uses bold phrases such as “junk food for the soul,” indicating that the erosion of appreciation for high culture is changing not only the common forms of entertainment but the character of today’s youth. Another parallel exists in Brown’s conception of culture and the Springhall’s reformers’ concept of morality as something that youth can access if they choose to break away from the evil influences of “mass” or “popular” culture – with the help, of course, of their moral or intellectual superiors, who long to inculcate their own (perhaps technologically or culturally outdated) ways of thinking into the next generation.
Throughout a series of books, and now movies known as Divergent they hit a lot of points as to what is believed as a “good society”. In the series, Divergent all must conform and fall into a certain category Dauntless, Abnegation, Erudite, Candor, or Amity . If one fails to do so, and falls into all of the categories they are known as “Divergent," and must be killed for failing to conform to traditional society standards and rules. This relates to Civil Disobedience by Henry David Thoreau, because he talks about humans not needing a form of structure set by a hierarchy, such as a government. A good society according to Thoreau, is one with little to no government involvement, one that respects laws to a certain extent, and one that follows
“Culture Industry: Enlightenment as Mass Deception” is a chapter in Theodor Adorno and Max Horkheimer’s book “Dialectic of Enlightenment” it goes onto discus the conflicts presented by the “culture industry.” Adorno states that the culture industry is a main phenomenon of late capitalism, encompassing all products from Hollywood films, to advertisements, and even extending to musical compositions. Adorno is very deliberate in noting the term “culture industry” over “mass culture” this was done to specifically distinguish, that it is not to be understood as something which spontaneously stems from the masses themselves.
Mond and his compatriots and predecessors must forge and maintain this social paradigm through careful conditioning in order to produce an efficient community of consistently wanton consumers. “The current Social Ethic, it is obvious, is merely a justification after the fact of the less desirable conse¬quences of over-organization.” Here, in Revisited, Huxley posits that in fact, the social ethics of such a World State-like society exist only to validate and vindicate the manner in which the would-be-individuals are forced to conform into their assigned roles. Huxley goes on to state, though, that it must be understood that the social organism, or rather “organization,” is an inorganic tool of society and the members of it, something that has value only so long as its parts-humans-perceive it to. Yet, over half a century later in the year 2014, the modern world has been unable to comprehend this wisdom (Or is it that it is ignorant of it?). The public educators of the day put so much emphasis on “group work” and “community service,” which seems to be an absolute prerequisite for a “higher
Edward Bellamy’s book Looking Backward was a projection of American thinking at this time that compounded on widely held belief of millennialism. This book mainly focused on a fictional future utopia one that many Americans wanted to believe in and develop. In this fictional story “… all now enjoy the most favorable conditions of physical life; the young are carefully nurtured and studiously cared for; the labor which is required of all is limited to the period of greatest bodily vigor…” This paints a picture that many want to come true, a picture that many people would go out and act upon and make it happen expand to encompass other spheres of influence and reach all over the world. Bellamy himself thought that America could influence the world going far enough to write about it in his book thinking that his new system of government would draw attention to America and other countries would want to replicate this new efficient system. In some ways he was right he was able to influence many Americans to look toward a brighter future, and this book even gave rise to many movements as “Mr. Edward Bellamy, a novelist by profession, is the recognized father of the Nationalist Clubs,” this book gave Americans hope and a global purpose to accomplish, to create a perfect society.
A “utopia is that which is in contradiction with reality,” said the famous French novelist Albert Camus in his collection of essays, Between Hell and Reason. History shows us that seemingly exemplary ideals in practice have led to the collapse of societies. Just examine the two most prominent attempts at a utopia: Hitler’s attempt to socialize all of Europe and create the “perfect” Aryan race coupled with Karl Marx’s beliefs to instate communism into society. The final result was the destruction of their perspective visionary worlds. There was one major facet that prevented these two from creating their paradigms: utopias take away individual freedom and identity and therefore society cannot exist. Aldous Huxley’s science fiction novel Brave New World examines the large disconnect between the future and present day societies, showing how several aspects of this dystopian world lead to the downfall of the individual identity, most prominently exemplified by the death of John Savage.
"Has the progress of the arts and sciences contributed more to the corruption or purification of morals?" Rousseau criticized social institutions for having corrupted the essential goodness of nature and the human heart. Rousseaue believed that by becoming "civilized", society has actually become worse because good people are made unhappy and are corrupted by their experiences in society.. He viewed society as "articficial" and "corrupt" and that the furthering of society results in the continuing unhappiness of man.
While the novels’ conflicts belong to potential societies, the stifling pressure of the societies’ expectations and the progression towards idiosyncratic squalor draws alarming parallels to that of today’s world. Burgess and Huxley present domains in which governing states have usurped God as the architect of existence and dictate every facet of reality. The authors challenge the prioritisation of social efficacy over individuation by depicting the degradation of individualistic diversity in support of imposed conformity and standardisation within these societies. The polarisation of these societies against the modern world is used decisively by Burgess and Huxley to illuminate the potential for a perverted future where drugs become the reality blighting contrivance of a civilisation void of free will and ethical integrity. In both works, only Alex represents the prospect of a slim hope — a limited dynamism for individuation within the confines of a potentially despotic
Roszak, Theodore. The Making of a Counter Culture: Reflections on the Technocratic Society & Its Youthful Opposition. Oakland: University of California, 1969. Print.
An examination of American counterculture as it exists today would make for an excruciatingly boring 15 pages. I refuse to drag you along in a discussion of my generation, devoid of originality or conviction, in an age where the so-called subcultural movement, if one even exists, is defined by apathy. While institutionalized American greed, exploitation, entitlement, and deception propagates at an alarming rate we find ourselves enveloped in our own narcissism. It is much easier to update our Facebook statuses than to face that the human race is driving itself into extinction as we defecate into our resources and onto our neighbors. In a world full of distractions and convenience there is simply no room for a rhetorical movement; maintaining opulence takes priority over basic human decency and few care to realize that we are pawns in operations all leading to our ultimate demise. If we had half the conviction of our predecessors, perhaps I could speak proudly of my generation; instead I am left to admire the rhetorical movements of yore.
Citizens of today’s society have to comprehend that by conforming to the pressures of others and imitating everyone else, they will get nowhere in life. First of all, a teenage boy attends his first big high school party at a friend’s house one weekend and he is pressured into drinking beer and smoking marijuana so he will seem cool in front of the popular jocks and cheerleaders. Since many teens are so terrified of ridicule and downright embarrassment in front of fellow students, they decide to give in to their peers even though their actions may go against their beliefs. Emerson believed that by being an individual “you shall have the suffrage of the world.” Furthermore, an innocent sixteen year old girl’s parents go out of town for the weekend and she invites her cute, popular, senior star quarterback boyfriend over, but he pressures her into having sex when she i...
Philosophy can be defined as the highest level of clarity and understanding human thought can aspire to. In some ways, Plato’s Republic can be compared to George Orwell’s book 1984. It may seem strange to compare the two, however they are quite similar. Plato writes from the Western philosophy, while Orwell tells of a totalitarian society where all free thought is banned. However, the two versions of government, one being a utopian government, and the other being horrific, contain certain connections that will be made clear over the course of this paper.
In Utopias, as in the Garden, one must give as much of oneself as possible to the society so that there is plenty to distribute to all members. The fall and the subsequent banishment from the perfect existence within the Garden serves as an example of how corruption has removed humanity from its golden age, or the “original period of human felicity, [the] idyllic state of ease, harmony, peace, and plenty” (Murfin and Ray 205). Humanity, having been educated in the perfection of the past, and the possibilities that morality, tolerance, and communitarianism can offer us for future betterment, continues to seek redemption to this lost age. Utopian philosophy and literature has served as the tool with which humanity can explore the possibilities of these preferable existences.
First, Utopian Thought argues that “Social perfection is an illusive ideal…perfection will never be attained; it is only possible to work toward it” (Hertzler 307). Rulers over utopias believe their ideas are perfect; however, they are only a passing thought of that time. Eventually, another social perfection will rise to the top, and then another. Not one ideal will endure through time as societies increase their knowledge and reason (Hertzler 308). Hertzler claims utopias alienate themselves from the world to take full advantage of the intellect that the rest of society cannot understand (Hertzler 310) because utopias are based entirely on attainable facts (Hertzler 312). Societies based on facts alone are societies lacking sensation.
The concept of mass culture emerged as a philosophical exploration of the question of modernity in relation to individual identities and individuality. As the society progressed from its traditional existence to a modern state, numerous advancements were realized that drastically changed the outlook of the society and its influence on an individual and individual thinking. One of the most important factors that have been an influence in the advancement of modernity is the mass media phenomenon (Landgraf 25). In fact, very few would contend that the institutions within the mass media franchise are crucial aspects of contemporary politics and philosophy. However, philosophers like Nietzsche and Karl Marx had the contention that the mass media had to be considered in light of its effects to the values and institutions of modern societies. Nietzsche’s criticisms is based on the general idea that the values and institutions of modern day society oppress creativity and bodily energies and limit the ability if human beings to function as individuals. This in turn blocks a generation of stronger individuals from emerging in a society that is now characterized by vigor. Friedrich Nietzsche critically appraised the modern age and developed one of the foremost sustainable critiques of mass culture and society, bureaucratic discipline, the state and regimentation. This led to the production of fresh perspectives which later deeply influenced discourse about modernity.