Chapter 5- the philosophical and the psychological
approach to life
Our reason and ideas lag behind change in
the external environment.
As a consequence, they often don’t change
unless drastic environmental change happens.
In regards to archetypes and unconscious images,
they are ideas that remain and cannot be supplanted
by the rational mind.
Marxism like religion aims to mold people
but in service to the state.
Life philosophy has changed from antiquity
into one of the armchair intellectual and
academic pursuits; which are somewhat removed
from day to day life.
Even religion is removed with its archaic
rituals and profession of strict creeds that
run counter to rationalism.
The divide between faith and knowledge is
a symptom of dissociation and split consciousness.
In order to treat this, the doctor must establish
a relationship between both halves of split
personality, acting as the mediator in order
to put them together to act as a complete
man again.
This may be the result of collective dissociation
since man is just a microcosm of the current
Weltanschauung or world view.
In the Christian worldview; the logos or ‘the
word’ is praised since Jesus is the word
of God.
There is a negative side in the central focus
of ‘words’ since certain words like the
‘state’ can be praised and glorified.
Also words can be used to deceive in the form
of propaganda, lies and compromise.
Likewise in the realm of the individual, words
in the form of telling and advising people
what to do, actually mean little since what
is important is whether they’ll act on it.
Thus the practitioner must empathise with
the suffering and get to understand the individual
on a personal level.
Practitioners must relate humanly as well
as see the patient as subhuman; as affected
by processes less than human; combing the
conscious and unconscious into one coherent
picture.
Saint Augustine proposed Concupiscentia and
Superbia which mean that we have two instincts
that run into conflict; these which are the
instinct for the preservation of the species
and self-preservation.
Instincts serve two main purposes: to bring
about change in behaviour through drive, and
to read intention or meaning out of a circumstance.
It is easily seen in the animals who function
out of instinct; being their Spiritus rector.
In civilised man, it is more inhibited but
still of course suffice, such as the need
to eat for example.
Instincts however should not be seen as just
simple drives, for they can be initiators
in more complex sets of behaviours such as
the learning instinct which Jung hypothesised
was the result of imitation of others.
As a result of this learning instinct, it
has brought about adaptation, innovation,
and civilisation; and also self-knowledge
in knowing that one is conscious and can know.
Many world events including Communist revolution
are a result of this split between dichotomies,
instead of a synthesis.
They can be explored in the division between
knowledge and faith, the conscious and unconscious,
the nature and the sprit, the instinctual
and the civilised.
As a result, dissociation in many individuals
culminate to movements that claim to champion
the oppressed leading to social and political
changes.
Since they are a consequence of dissociation,
the changes implemented lead to the exact
same thing happening thus the cycle continue;
oppression and oppressed are actually the
result of these dissociations of the self
which have never been cured.
Individuality becomes debased since their
moral and spiritual freedom amount less as
opposed to state supremacy.
It is easy to point the finger as to real
evil or the shadow made manifest in the dictatorship
of Fascist Germany and or the politico-socio-economic
systems as opposed to one’s own dissociations
and moral judgements.
Rational philosophy doesn’t care too much
about the shadow, only paying attention to
our conscious intentions.
This overlooks the inherent problem that we
have an unconscious, a shadow state, one that
acts out based on instinct.
More emphasis should be placed on mental state
of man or psyche since it is the single hand
that has created the civilised, human world.
Whether held by a leader or the masses, the
psyche has much control which is capable of
changing history, whether for good or ill.
The more power humans have over nature, the
greater the emphasis to the mind as opposed
to the heart or feeling self.
Man grows contempt for nature, for that which
is irrational and random even though their
own cognitive faculties are the result of
natural and even irrational processes.
Religions are use to the idea that the will
of man isn’t the only master over nature
and that they aren’t the master over it.
Faith and morals are dictated by the consensus
and agreement held by creeds and Churches.
Ultimately, religion should be more to do
with a personal relationship with God as reiterated
before.
Jung believes that to fix dissociation, we
must pay attention and synthesise seemingly
contradictory concepts like the conscious
and unconscious, and faith and reason for
the sake of a balanced psyche.
