Neo Teleology

Leaving Absurdity and Senselessness

Where are we going?

Each period of human history has its missions and its “raison d’être Â».
For France, for example, a period was devoted to its development; another was to fix its boundaries; another was for raising the Kingdom into a Nation; etc.
This is exactly the same thing at the whole humanity scale:
Each period had provided the necessary elements for its development: era of biological evolution, of diversification, exploration, of settlement; era of spiritualities, of great civilizations, period of colonization/decolonisation.
Our decades are those of globalization:
This globalisation had to be undertaken as it was incepted, in a sort of liberal "euphoria", materialistic buoyancy.
A quick glance at the general atmosphere shows that it has not been a very happy period. When one leaves spiritual values for material values, behaviours become tense and tenderness flies away. Anxious winds of absurdity cool down Humanity’s prairies.

About unconscious Evolution

Unconscious evolution does not refer on present only; it even characterizes the whole evolution of our species.
But this stage should, in my mind, be over passed. As an adult takes his destiny in hands, a mature humanity, must take its own.
For our juvenile minds, the very idea of a conscious Evolution is not attractive. Seriousness, Responsibility and the constraints that it conveys, do not match our love for freedom.
Artistic blur in which we are sailing today does allow all human creative horizons.
It is obviously necessary to preserve all that freedom to act and create.

Sense without constraint

Giving a meaning to humanity’s development does not necessarily apply to all our actions. It simply implies to maintain the path intuitively chosen by our specie; to understand that there is some logic in the choice of our values and relevance in these choices.
There is a reason to have preferred Socrates to the Sophists;
There is a reason for moving towards democracy;
There is a reason for building Europe and globalization;
There is a reason to the frustration of our impulses;
There is a reason for art, friendship, love, pleasure as well as for death.

Which sense to Evolution

Moving up a degree in his evolutionary scale, the human being must understand the meaning of his evolution and grasp the logic of his presence in the world.
Obviously we are not on earth for slaughtering each other. We're not here for imposing us at others’ expenses.
These deadly behaviours are beyond our will. Had the human being the psychological means, he would have naturally choose love for his neighbours, mutual assistance and peaceful development.
One day we therefore shall over pass these primary deeds. After physical and immediate contentment, the question of the meaning of humanity must enlighten us again.

Revisiting Teleology

It is of course difficult to advance in this way of uncertainty. The future, by nature, will always contain its share of unknown.
New researches may clarify a bit our present groping progression; they may offer new hopes, likely prospects for us to want improving some of our behaviours.
Determining scientifically a positive development, would strengthen human cohesion. This would justify the importance of working to the humanity’s alliance. A new teleology would relish the world back. It would clarify our vision of history. It would give meaning to all the steps between human beginnings and the humanity of today.

A new scientific comportment

Obviously, Science would be leading this new type of research, being the only way to confirm the existence of such an historical evolution.
To do so, History should bring to Science, without any romanticism, the various types of human existence through the ages: daily life at the tribal time, prehistoric, antique (Persia, Egypt, China, Greece, Rome etc.), at the middle age, during French Revolution, at the beginning of capitalism, at the 20th century, etc*.

* Of course, those are only examples. Humanity is a global entity. Episodes such as the French Revolution, although important for humanity as a whole, cannot represent a period of time by themselves

This scientific comportment would renew research. It would for example, consider the human psychology at various historical moments; comparing emotional, family, social, educational relations as well as health, medical, legal conditions, at each time of the Evolution.
Human being has already material resources for such renewal. More importantly, he possesses a huge technological and creative future.
When time comes, human being would plunge back into his fate. Philosophy and science will then massively converge. This new teleology will then have much higher means than those of Kant and Hegel.

In summary

A new study of Purposes

For more than 2000 years, humans have been asking questions on the historical fate of humanity. Since 100 years, they turn their back to focus on understanding themselves. This psychological step was necessary.
However, we lost "sense of direction" while winning in psychology; the two studies were probably incompatible. But, without reflection, our evolution seems completely senseless.
It is similar to the parable of Brueghel: blinds leading blinds unable to avoid obstacles.
So far, we have known 3 major approaches to understand human future:
The religious approach composed of positive but somewhat disturbing ideas on our fate (i.e. the ultimate judgment).
The revolutionary approach, aiming at the end of alienation and selfishness, but willing to impose it by force.
The nihilistic approach (currently leading) refusing any long term reflection but preferring immediate and individualistic pleasures *.

* The consequences of such a development are already highly visible (devastation of the planet, return to primates’ values, driving and compulsive behaviours)...

It seems to me that there is some room for a median vision:
We could imagine a conscientious and encompassing reflection on the human fate. Sciences opened to all, happy and without prejudice. Patient and caring sciences, built under the auspices of symbiosis. A new teleology placed under the lights of Wisdom and Serenity.



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