Note: This is the academic paper I wrote for my Master’s level writing class. Apologies for it being a bit dry — the professor insisted certain things had to be taken out to make it sound more “academic.”
Riding The Human Wave
Jonathan R. Lightfoot
Gonzaga University
Riding The Human Wave
This paper will posit that anti-human bias in philosophy and politics is the greatest social problem that needs to be addressed. It will discuss this anti-human bias, and one of its primary manifestations — identity politics – by describing and illustrating the problem it creates. Most importantly, it will share information on a grassroots “group” that is facing this problem with its own form of humanistic positivism – The Human Wave. So let me begin by defining this anti-human bias.
What is Anti-Human Bias?
Anti-human bias is a view of the world that sees humans as the source of all the world’s problems. In the words of novelist Hoyt:
Our arts, the collective expression of our collective soul – or our culture for lack of a better word – have got stuck in the adolescent whine of “I hate people.” Which means the “moral” behind just about every novel, painting, story is “Humans are bad and we should all die” (Hoyt, 2012 July).
Humans are the source of many problems: war, poverty, environmental disaster. The Human Wave isn’t denying that, only the conclusion being drawn in culture:
But seeing yourself – or your species – as unredeemable is as blinkered, as pathetic, as seeing your species – or yourself – as angel-like, with no flaws. Neither of them have reality and frankly both of them lack internal tension. Both of them are therefore just plain bad art (Hoyt, 2012 July).
An interesting manifestation of this bias is the rise of the new tribalism, also called identity politics.
Manifestation in Identity Politics
At first look, identity politics doesn’t seem to be anti-human. It emphasizes positive traits of various groups. Identity politics is cultural politics, where identity itself becomes a focus of political work. It politicizes areas of our lives that weren’t previously considered political (Bernstein, 49). Identity politics is divisive. It prevents a universal vision of society, replacing it with claims for group-based benefits. Identity politics sets one group against another. People are viewed as parts of these tribes instead of individuals, as humans. In the “Perils of Identity Politics,” Finkielkraut credits identity politics with making “the idea that citizenship demands a common language across the nation” disappear from political life. This leads, as co-author Gauchet notes, to “the point where fellow citizens … literally cannot speak to one another.” (Gauchet, Manent, Finkielkraut, Seaton, Mahoney, 2004).
Identity politics creates an atmosphere that dehumanizes the other groups as “the other” or “the oppressor” instead of part of the same body politic. So if identity politics, politics by groups, isn’t the true human wave, what is? Let’s look at individualism.
Individualism – the True Human Wave
Freedom and responsibility are the hallmarks of true individualism. We replace the tribal or collective self with the responsible self, one that says “I am responsible for finding a way to contribute to society.” As Christopher Chantrill says:
The day you say “I am responsible” you become free, free to decide how to contribute to society, free to learn, free to love, and free to make mistakes. Thus Heinlein: “I am free because I know that I alone am morally responsible for everything I do” (Chantrill, 2014).
It is a paradox: The group-oriented theory of identity politics is anti-human while the theory of individualism is the one that is truly universal and humanist. When we see people only as members of groups, we deny elements of their humanity. When we see people as individuals, we see them as humans, diverse, unique, and full of potential and worth.
So how do we get from our culture’s anti-human bias to one of true humanism? Let’s try riding the Human Wave.
Manifesto: The Human Wave
My wife, a fiction writer, referred me to the blog of science fiction author Hoyt. She is one of a group of writers who have been working from the trenches against this cultural dictum. In their writing, they have formed a loose alliance of ideas to promote positive views of humans as flawed but redeemable Consider the start of Hoyt’s “manifesto”:
The purpose of this is to create a new “idea” in science fiction, a new way to look at the genre. Properly observed (and I’ve observed it) I think the genre should be a way to play with possible futures, with possible outcomes, with possible ideas. The wonder of science fiction lays in the open possibility.
Because we are rebelling against enforced conformity of style and opinion, of belief and ideology, this list is not “though shalt nots” but “You’re allowed to.” It is also, in the nature of my nature … to know that this job is not completed. Heck, it’s not even really started. There will be discussion of this list at both According To Hoyt and Mad Genius Club. Come and be heard, and let the discussion begin (Hoyt, 2012 March).
Thus the way to ride the wave is to see both the flaws and potentials of humans as humans, as individuals, and to write stories that see and encourage that potential in our culture, in all its freedom, responsibility and diversity.
Conclusion
While not as flashy a problem as those featured on the evening news, the anti-human bias of our culture is our greatest social problem. The denying of the humanity of others, as in the case of identity politics, leads to an anti-humanism that is the root of other social issues.
The cure for this is The Human Wave, a cultural appeal to responsible individualism that asks individuals to frame stories that encourage the potential of flawed humans through freedom and responsibility. This is diversity that works from the bottom up, not uniformity enforced from the top down.
References
Bernstein, M. (2005). Identity Politics. Annual Review of Sociology. Vol. 31 pp . 47-74.
Gauchet, M. Manent, P. Finkielkraut, A. Seaton, P. Mahoney, D. (2004). The Perils of Identity Politics. Journal of Democracy, Vol. 15 Number 3 July 2004 pp 152-165. DOI: 10.1353/jod.2004.0044
Hoyt, S. (2012, July 31). People Who Hate People [Web Log Post] Retrieved from http://accordingtohoyt.com/2012/07/31/people-who-hate-people/
Hoyt, S. (2012, March 21). What is Human Wave Science Fiction [Web Log Post] Retrieved Fromhttp://accordingtohoyt.com/2012/03/21/what-is-human-wave-science-fiction-3/
Chantrill, C. (2014, February 25). After the Great Disappointment (Web Log Post) Retrieved from http://www.americanthinker.com/2014/02/after_the_great_disappointment.html
At The Rainbow 