 15 Jun 2005 @ 11:06, by John Oates
Truth and Utopia by John Bapty Oates
Relevant website www.humantruth.org
Piece for New Civilisation Network: Truth and Utopia
We would be united by truth, foundation of agreement.
Disagreement occurs between minds one of which, or both, have not encompassed truth.
Truth results from utter correlation of everything with everything else.
This utter correlation is carried out by a mind that is entirely free and independent of the influence or rule of anything other than its true own reason, whether that true reason be original or contributed by another mind or other minds the truth of whose reasoning is recognised.
Such a mind is the postconscious, a high-functioning faculty formed in isolation at the time of the mutation that made us human and still separate from the conscious mind and its sphere of reality excepting for conscience. However, the predominant thoughts and actions of the human race are presently carried out by our conscious minds. The conscious mind contains the self and is fundamentally untrue because it is not free and independent but geared to a basically false existing reality and, consequently, uses false overall reasoning. Argument, or debate dominated by conscious minds cannot reach true conclusion – witness academic philosophy
The postconscious is a large array of neurons, axons, dendrites, synapses situated apart in the neocortex. At the time of birth it is free of preconditioning (unlike the conscious mind that conforms to the competitive drives of instinct). The postconscious mind is independent of opinions, beliefs and values preconceived, without good and full reason, by the conscious mind, but is fully aware of all thought and action taking place in the conscious sphere. Those thoughts and actions would be very different were we guided by the postconscious mind; ie were we supraconscious as it is our true nature to be, but conscience is the nearest we get to such guidance.
The point has been made that truth results from utter correlation of everything with everything else. The newborn human array of neurons etc., the human postconscious mind, is the means by which this utter correlation is to be accomplished. Beginning as a blank slate, how does this postconscious discover and encompass truth?
An example is the principle of equality against the background of a competitive money economy. The postconscious mind cannot but support the practice of equality, recognising that inequality is unfair and unpleasant, and derives from lack of common opportunity and encouragement in a competitive economy. Conscious minds argue that meritocracy is necessary because without incentives people would not make the required effort. They also point out that people are not equal – some are highly intelligent, others not; some are strong and agile, others weak and inept. High positions in hierarchies demand advanced use of intelligence, while low positions do the opposite. Education policy is moulded to this shape. Happiness is equated with the accumulation of material things and with status.
Postconscious minds point out that a cooperative economy would bring out, and depend upon, the best in all people, supporting the principle that economy is management of resources by, and for the benefit of, the whole people, subject to sustainable stewardship of Earth. It would clearly claim that most persons would prove to be of equal intelligence were they encouraged and enabled to reach fulfilment. Those who were of lesser ability, for whatever reason, would be helped and supported by the rest, so that all would reach equal positions of worth. Happiness would arise from a cooperative spirit in a simple society and a healthy environment.
Many people yearn for such a society but visions of Utopia are ridiculed by realists because it has never and nowhere become successfully established. We have failed to achieve Utopia because we are strongly, overwhelmingly conditioned by the principles and practices of competitive instinct that rule out the ideal. As the next best thing many of us, rather than struggle against the norm turn to spirituality, retreat from harsh reality into personal tranquility. Yet the difficulty with visions of Utopia is not that it is an impossible dream. On the contrary, it is a natural state for any highly intelligent race such as we. The obstacle to the ideal is our firm but unreasoned and mistaken conviction, backed up by the false and overwhelming, but unnecessary, institutions of our amoral reality, that we could never achieve it.
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