## A History of the Present *by Pankaj Mishra* - Many people are angry about the failed promises on [[The Enlightenment]] to deliver a more just society. - Many in the global political establishment inaccurately place the blame for this discontent on [[religion]]. - Enlightenment philosophers promised that pursuit of secular values including reason, science, and art could make people feel equal to other members of society, despite their respective socioeconomic class. - Disillusionment set in when people realized that embracing these values did not enforce equality across societies. - In some sense, rational principles of the Enlightenment only made great wealth discrepancies and social unfairness more clearly visible. - A new kind of [[populism]] stepped in to fill this void of disappointment, and working-class people became vulnerable to appeals from strongmen and [[fascism]]. ### Seething with resentment In modern times, people seem to be teeming with resentment at the world, and often appear to care solely for their own advancement -- even at the expense of others. Two terms encapsulate this: 1. [[ressentiment]] -- backlash at society's elites 2. [[amour-propre]] -- a person's preoccupation with his own worth and how he appears to others The concept of amour-propre originates with iconoclastic Enlightenment philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau. It is especially dominant in the age of [[social media]], leading to a cultural mileau infused with a combination of selfishness and combativeness, as individual self-interest is exhibited to a degree that begins to harm society as a whole. ## Rousseau foresees danger Rousseau understood that other philosophers were overly conflating the idea of [[free markets]] with [[freedom]]. He also recognized that overemphasis on commerce actually poses a threat to the human psyche. Rousseau warned that excessive competition and obsession with money can wreak havoc on our egos and our souls, and can motivate people to treat each other cruelly in the pursuit of wealth and status. Both the rich and the poor can be easily corrupted by this societal emphasis on material hierarchy. He was also less hostile to [[religion]] than many other philosophers of [[The Enlightenment]] were. Although religion is responsible for many irrational wars and conflicts, Rousseau saw that it was also valuable as a moral guide for the masses. In this, he foresaw some of the problematic aspects of Enlightenment thinking that still drive polarization and conflict in our politics today. ## Ressentiment has gone global It was difficult enough to contain ressentiment when it operated on a local scale -- but one of the many consequences of [[globalization]] is that it too now operates on a global scale. Local communities aren't as tightly held together in the modern world , making "every man for himself" seem like a more useful guiding philosophy than ever. The church was once central to a sense of social unity -- but now citizens are isolated individual atoms lost in a sea of [[consumerism]]. As the value of national identity has decreased, some groups have leveraged the sense of loss into a renewed call to arms. From the Islamic State to white supremacist networks, opportunistic "leaders" have frequently targeted the young in search of a sense of purpose and identity. This same uneasy feeling of loss and perceived grievance has fueled the rise of [demagogues](https://doctorparadox.net/people-data/demagogues/) around the world, from Viktor Orbán in Hungary to Vladimir Putin in Russia and [[Donald Trump]] in the United States. All such right-wing power grabs aim to feed people a sense of being Special, both as individuals and as part of some larger movement with lofty goals. And people who feel angry and let down by the established order are vulnerable to the appeals of violent strongmen. ## The failure of liberal capitalism The premise of capitalism as a system was that it was supposed to make everyone wealthier and more successful if they adopted primary values of work and [[consumerism]]. But the reality is that society has become filled with rancor and conflict as people became more individualistic, self-absorbed, and greedy. Moreover, their self-awareness of their lack of satisfaction leads to disappointment, paranoia, and contagious anger. In such circumstances, even ordinary people can be pushed to the brink of performing ethically dubious, immoral, or even violent acts. Religion is often framed as the scapegoat for this cultural development, when in reality capitalism itself is arguably responsible for the lion's share of the blame. ### Clash of Civilizations Theory Originated by American political scientist Samuel P. Huntington, the divisive Clash of Civilizations Theory posits that Islam is inherently a violent and bloodthirsty religion opposed to and incompatible with [[democracy]]. In a particularly potent strain of religious scapegoating, this idea alleges that Muslims are forever champing at the bit to destroy Western civilization. Instead of furthering this conflict-inducing worldview, Western leaders ought to take responsibility for liberal capitalism's failures and shortcomings and seek to address them honestly and transparently. See also: [[demagogue quotes]]