The Future of Liberalism

From selfish liberalism to liberal symbiosis

For a humanist liberalism

Il n'y a d'heureux que ceux dont l'âme imprègne, illumine le corps et vit en symbiose avec lui. Pierre Charbonneau

It is utopian to imagine that a perfectly just symbiotic system of free trade can already be imposed on the planet. That a benevolent, honest and upright practice, respectful and possessing a humanist vision, is already feasible. The power of human impulses, the weakness of our consciousness, the interweaving of interests and the temptation to domination, obscure for the moment even the sight. Yet humanity is irrepressibly directed towards this type of symbiotic functioning. This is at least the thesis defended here, as we shall see in a forthcoming chapter.

From Oligarchic Liberalism to Democratic Liberalism

Liberalism, practiced for twenty years, satisfies and rejoices a small number of individuals. Liberals combative, aggressive and well adapted. Human beings rather unconscious and deaf to the suffering that this deregulated system abandons on the road. This is why this model does not satisfy (in its present form) the greatest number. It mistreats an aspiring human majority, on the contrary, to conscious action, material security, dignity and peace.

On the other hand, liberalism has not imposed itself by chance. It has its raison d'être. For these reasons, we find freedom of expression and criticism, two qualities authorizing precisely, a good evolution of this doctrine (qualities nonexistent in communism, hence its failure).

Emulation is one of the engines of progress.

Competition develops progress. Progress improves the object, cleanses it, renders it complete, safe, judicious and harmless. It is neither emulation nor object that poses a problem to humanity. It is our lack of understanding of their real meaning. If consumption represents a gain for man, over-consumption, a danger. It seems therefore necessary to deepen our consciousness to grasp Hegel's sentence correctly: "man is the tool of something higher and more extensive than he realizes in an unconscious way."

The spiritual is superior to material

Selfishness, luxury, power, object, are building materials

The things and actions of man do not have the vulgar meaning that is attributed to them. Selfishness and egocentrism are unconscious motors of competition. But the deep sense of competition is to gradually lead humanity towards its perfection.

• Luxury is considered by the dominant as a tool of distinction of their class. In reality, the purpose of this industry is the improvement of the object.
• The irrepressible desire for power is used by man to establish a certain domination over his fellows. In reality, this desire is one of the motors maneuvering the human species towards its perfection.
• In the same way, "the object" is not the god proposed by liberalism. We must therefore remain master of it. To submit to it would be to submit to a matter which we must, on the contrary, transcend.

At the same time, the object is necessary for us not to be, like the animal, subject to matter and nature. So we need the object, while forgetting its presence. We can and must make the technology more complex, making it as perfect and as intelligent as a living organism. But she must remain our ally and not become our master.

If we analyze liberalism in depth, we would see that some of the obscenities and crises it generates are not only linked to a time of adaptation, but to its mechanics, its superficial vision of existence, and Values ​​"that he is forced to exalt.

 

Solutions for Positive Liberalism

Beyond the specific nature of liberal ideology, we can still limit some of its negative effects.

It would be necessary to control the market. To domesticate it with the help of a legal system, independent and incorruptible. To have it monitored by powerful consumer organizations.

Looking at things in a synthetic and human way, reflection seems simple. Globalization is a necessity and competition is one of the driving forces. Human values ​​are our only safeguard to prevent any return to savage functioning. We thus seem to have only the choice between two ideologies:

a perfectly controlled liberalism, regaining its true place in the hierarchy of values,

elevation to "symbiotism", to conscious, fair, respectful and motivated exchange by a healthy emulation.

If we let our consciousness and our common sense speak, the choice would soon be made ...
but are we already capable?

symbiosis