A Systemic History of the Middle Way - Its Biological, Psycho-developmental, and Cultural Conditions - Robert M. Ellis

A Systemic History of the Middle Way - Its Biological, Psycho-developmental, and Cultural Conditions - Robert M. Ellis

Provisionality and Absolutization in Human Culture

A Systemic History of the Middle Way - Its Biological, Psycho-developmental, and Cultural Conditions - Robert M. Ellis

Robert M. Ellis [+-]
Middle Way Society
Robert M. Ellis is author of a range of interdisciplinary books on Middle Way Philosophy, both within and beyond Buddhism. These have included The Buddha’s Middle Way: Experiential Judgement in His Life and Teaching (Equinox Publishing, 2019) and Archetypes in Religion and Beyond: A Practical Theory of Human Integration and Inspiration (Equinox Publishing, 2022). He is also founder of the Middle Way Society and of Tirylan House Retreat Centre in Wales.

Description

My third section, then, attempts to track this development of human cultural complexity. It does so by identifying a variety of sub-systems that have arisen at various points within human cultures, each of which has offered new complexity and new adaptive potential, but each of which was then followed by a rigidification process as increasingly absolute judgements were applied to it. When this rigidification (or reinforcing feedback loops) became too maladaptive in the face of new conditions, though, frustration has resulted, and new innovators have managed to gain support in adapting the culture with yet another complex sub-system. The pattern is then repeated. For instance, the development of religious archetypes early in human development offered important developmental potential by allowing us to maintain inspiration over time, thus fulfilling plans, being open to new ideas, identifying long-term threats, and feeding helpful relationships. However, this balancing feedback loop (as I tracked in my recent book Archetypes in Religion and Beyond) soon became rigidified by the projection of these archetypal symbols into objects of belief: archetypal gods who helped us recall more sustainable qualities of mind, for instance, became supernatural agencies who intervened to help us pass our exams.

Notify A Colleague

Citation

Ellis, Robert. Provisionality and Absolutization in Human Culture. A Systemic History of the Middle Way - Its Biological, Psycho-developmental, and Cultural Conditions. Equinox eBooks Publishing, United Kingdom. p. 118-210 Aug 2024. ISBN 9781800504493. https://www.equinoxpub.com/home/view-chapter/?id=46328. Date accessed: 10 Oct 2024 doi: 10.1558/equinox.46328. Aug 2024

Dublin Core Metadata