Ethics (ethical dynamics) - Chapter 2:Ethics and our Cognitive (Social) Structures and Potentialities
- 1. Our core human potentialities – for individuals, institutions and societies - grow via our cognitive (social) structures and potentialities: those that make it possible to bring about a ‘specifically’ human world. November 2010 1© Abraham Chiasson
- 2. Some definitions - Cognition will be viewed as a ‘continual bringing forth of a world’1 and, will lead us to a dynamic understanding of ethics. (1- Cognition will be further described in the Chapter on Living Systems.) Ethics will be viewed as a process of cognition ever searching for the most effective expression of all our human and social2 potentialities in bringing forth a human world. (2- Social potentialities will be described in Chapter 6.) Cognitive (social) structures and potentialities will be viewed as our individual and collective instruments of cognition i.e., those that permit us to create our social realities and, ultimately, our collective psyche. November 2010 © Abraham Chiasson 2
- 3. Chapter 2 will examine ethics and - Our ‘cognitive (social) structures and potentialities’ – those associated with – Our overall human nature and, the ‘self’, Our domains of endeavour and, those related to ‘individuals / institutions / societies’ and, Our ‘collective human psyche’ or, the reality of our collective and historical human experience. November 2010 © Abraham Chiasson 3
- 4. Cognitive (Social) Structures - November 2010 © Abraham Chiasson 4 Human Nature Self Domains of endeavour Indiviudal / Institutions / Society Collective Psyche
- 5. November 2010 © Abraham Chiasson 5 Cognitive Potentialities Cognitive & Social Structures live in the world of our Cognitive Potentialities Cognitive Structures Social Structures
- 6. 1. Core ‘Human Cognitive Potentialities’ Those cognitive potentialities that nature has given us as a species to start us on our human (social) journey. Those cognitive potentialities associated with our human nature and being possessed by all who share in our human nature. Those potentialities that underlie and give life to our other cognitive (social) structures. November 2010 © Abraham Chiasson 6
- 7. 1. Core Human Cognitive Potentialities… Our ‘core human cognitive potentialities’ have seven dimensions. Each dimension has a specific capacity for bringing forth a human world and is in a synergistic relationship with all of the others. November 2010 © Abraham Chiasson 7
- 8. November 2010 © Abraham Chiasson 8 1. Core Human Cognitive Potentialities… Core ‘Human’ Cognitive Potentialities Symbolism Behaviors Explanations InventionFaith Reason Technique
- 9. 1. Core Human Cognitive Potentialities… Implications e.g., Symbolism gives a sharable ‘human’ (social) reality to our mental images – it activates our emotions with their associated perceptions and feelings and sparks our other cognitive potentialities; Our ‘core human cognitive potentialities’ will drive, and be enriched by, our capacity to transform e.g., the emotions – perceptions – feelings, of our mental images; and, Ethics (individual, institutional and societal) must engage all our human cognitive potentialities and help them grow to their full potential. November 2010 © Abraham Chiasson 9
- 10. 2. Cognitive potentialities and the ‘self’ ‘Core human cognitive potentialities’ bring about the self’s cognitive potentialities, those that drive our quest as individuals, institutions and societies, for a richer autobiographical sense of self in bringing forth our world -. E.g., those cognitive potentialities that provide for a sense of ‘autobiographical self’ for the individual, institution and society, and pave the way for effective social engagements… November 2010 © Abraham Chiasson 10
- 11. November 2010 © Abraham Chiasson 11 2. Cognitive potentialities - “self”. Cognitive Potentialities “Self” Energies Embodiment Empathy UniquenessBeliefs Meaning Information
- 12. 2. Cognitive potentialities and the self… Implications e.g., Symbolism as a ‘core human cognitive potentiality’ brings about the ‘cognitive energies’ of the self – those energies which engage 'body and mind’ and, Behaviors provide the self with the potential for embodying the ‘cognitive energies’ associated with ‘symbolism’. As a ‘self’ cognitive potentiality, beliefs must be associated with the self's sense of empathy and the other ‘self’ cognitive potentialities and, Beliefs not giving rise to useful meaning and information (about the world), will quickly wither into irrelevance. November 2010 © Abraham Chiasson 12
- 13. 3. Social Structures and Cognitive Potentialities Social structures – cognitive structures - express our collective instruments of cognition i.e., those essential to the creation, development and maintenance of our social realities: 3.1 Domains of ‘endeavour’ express and give social relevance / structure to our cognitive potentialities; 3.2 Institutions (individuals and societies) and their organizations - our social 'relational’ structures - are the basis, for our social relationships; and, November 2010 © Abraham Chiasson 13
- 14. Specifically, social structures serve to: Give social relevance and meaning to our core human potentialities (and, to our social potentialities) - and, Create the social dynamics needed for the development of our overall cognitive potentialities. November 2010 © Abraham Chiasson 14 Human (& Social) Potentialities Cognitive Potentialities Social Structures & Dynamics
- 15. 3.1 Domains (of human endeavour) Domains – our core social structures - express and give social relevance and structure to our cognitive potentialities’, specifically, they – Give life and meaning (an intentionality) to a social context via their actualization by an individual, institution or society as a whole and, are the - Conduit for the individual, the institution and ‘ultimately’ society’s contribution to their social environments. November 2010 © Abraham Chiasson 15
- 16. 3.1 Domains (of human endeavour)… Domains are the result of a synergy driven at its core by our ‘human potentialities’ (Chapter 1) and, social potentialities (Chapters 6, 7 & 8) With those ‘core human and social potentialities’ taking shape in domains via our overall cognitive potentialities; and, Themselves finding ‘specific’ expression in the cognitive potentialities of socially constructed domains. November 2010 © Abraham Chiasson 16 Human & Social Potentialities Cognitive Potentialities Domain Cognitive Potentialities Domains
- 17. 3.1 Domains (of human endeavour) November 2010 © Abraham Chiasson 17 Cognitive Potentialities “Domains” ‘Social’ Qualities Forms Stories BeautyValues Truths Theories
- 18. 3.1 Domains (of human endeavour)… Domain cognitive potentialities engage us with the world – as examples - Social qualities e.g., symbolizing rationality, wealth, and justice…, engage ‘socially’ the energies of the self; Stories about how the world works grow our potential for empathy; Values give social expression to the self’s beliefs; and, Theories - how individual… action via ‘domains’ can transform the ‘world’. November 2010 © Abraham Chiasson 18
- 19. 3.1 Domains (of human endeavour)… What would be some of the resulting challenges for more open, shared and responsible ethical dynamics? Domain contribution values must enhance our potential for faith; Domain cognitive potentialities must aim to be in synergy with our human cognitive potentialities and those of the self; Values must provide for the development of the domain's other dimensions; and, Institutional ethical dynamics that change the domain’s qualities, forms, stories… will have an effect on domain values. November 2010 © Abraham Chiasson 19
- 20. 3.2 Institutions and their organizations (Individuals, ‘Institutions’ and Societies) ‘Institutions and their organizations - our social 'relational' structures - are the basis for our social relationships’ Institutions and their organizations are: The social expression of our cognitive potentialities for ‘collective’ action and relevance; The social vehicles for the enactment of our domain contributions; The core architecture of socio-political landscapes; and, History’s medium for maintaining and transforming our collective history – our ability to do things collectively -. November 2010 © Abraham Chiasson 20
- 21. 3.2 Institutions and their organizations… Institutions (and their organizations) provide our domain contributions with - The wherewithal for socio-political relevance by giving life to, and being connected to, a web of institutional relationships - the world of the polity or organized society; and, thereby, A capacity for their transformation and growth – of their domain cognitive characteristics - i.e., with the ability to develop new and more appropriate stories, truths and theories… November 2010 © Abraham Chiasson 21
- 22. 3.2 Institutions and their organizations… Institutions (and, the individual and societies) have been the socio-political instruments for the ‘self’ in bringing together via domain contributions and their cognitive characteristics: The self’s core human potentialities e.g., for consciousness and a sense of vision and, the self’s core cognitive potentialities e.g., for embodiment, and meaning. (and, as we will see later, the self’s social potentialities) November 2010 © Abraham Chiasson 22
- 23. November 2010 © Abraham Chiasson 23 Individuals Institutions Societies “Self” “Self” Cognitive Potentialities Domain Cognitive Potentialities Human & Social Potentialities
- 24. 3.2 Institutions and their Cognitive Potentialities November 2010 © Abraham Chiasson 24 Universe Order Ethos AestheticsEthics Ideology Knowledge
- 25. 3.2 Institutions - the role of their cognitive potentialities Universe - Each institution (as is the case for individuals and societies) has its own universe i.e., those ‘vital realities and issues’ that have brought about the institution and for which it continues to exist. Order - Institutions bring a specific order to their universe of realities and issues by giving a specific form to their institutional (domain) contributions e.g., laws in the case of Parliament. Ethos - The stories associated with institutional domain contributions bring about the development of an institutional ethos - how specific issues are dealt with and the realities which they bring about. November 2010 © Abraham Chiasson 25
- 26. 3.2 Institutions - the role of their cognitive potentialities... Aesthetics - Institutions mediate domain contributions also on the basis of their sense of beauty - institutional aesthetics e.g., principles associated with its sense of beauty. Ethics - Institutional mediation of domain contribution values is done on the basis of and, brings about, its ethics e.g., the ethical aspirations that will drive the resolution of its institutional issues. Ideology - Institutional mediation of domain related truths lead to a specific institutional ideology - its ‘body’ of truths about its realities. Knowledge - Institutions use domain theories for the development of institutional knowledge - ‘how the world works’ - making them capable of addressing ‘successfully’ their institutional realities and issues. November 2010 © Abraham Chiasson 26
- 27. 3.2 Institutions - their cognitive potentialities... - resulting challenges for more open, shared and responsible ethical dynamics. Institutional (or ‘individual’ or ‘societal’) cognitive potentialities all ‘thrive or die’ together – Institutional ethics must (as examples): Contribute to internal and external synergies via core institutional – human - potentialities e.g., those of ‘consciousness’ and ‘vision and hope’ and, Those related to its core social potentialities e.g., those related to accountability and sense of destiny; and, Grow individual, institutional and societal domain contributions and their cognitive potentialities. November 2010 © Abraham Chiasson 27
- 28. 4. Collective human psyche - “We are all in this together!” Our ‘mind’★ – the reality and sum of our thoughts and feelings – exists inasmuch as it is connected to and nourished by - The realities and dynamics of the physical universe – those that give rise to our ‘human nature’ - and, the realities and dynamics of our social universe. Physical Universe < -- Individual Mind -- > Social Universe ★ as individuals, institutions and societies… November 2010 © Abraham Chiasson 28
- 29. 4. Collective human psyche - “We are all in this together!” ‘Collective human psyche’ - the reality of our collective human experience – Metaphorically - 1) mind – psyche –, 2) our specific – human – world, 3) and, our symbiosis with our - collective - social and historical reality. November 2010 © Abraham Chiasson 29
- 30. © Abraham Chiasson 30 4. Collective human psyche – Cognitive potentialities January 2010 Symbos Rituals Myths ArtReligion Philosophy Science
- 31. 4. Collective human psyche - “We are all in this together!” An example: Domains – their creation and development via the ‘self’ – are at the intersect of our 'human and social' cognitive potentialities and, the dimensions of our collective human psyche. November 2010 © Abraham Chiasson 31 Self ‘Human & Social Cognitive Potentialities Domains Dimensions Collective Human Psyche
- 32. 3. Collective human psyche - “We are all in this together!”… Resulting challenges for more open… ethical dynamics? To grow our ‘collective human psyche’ via ethics and and their impact on our social realities, as a condition for the growth of our core human and social potentialities, and of our overall cognitive potentialities. November 2010 © Abraham Chiasson 32 Ethics Collective Human Psyche Human & Social Cognitive Potentialities Human & Social Realities Core Human & Social Potentialities (Ind.-Inst.-Soc.)
- 33. November 2010 © Abraham Chiasson 33September 2010 © Abraham Chiasson 33 Cognitive Structures Cognitive Potentialities – Ex. Collective Human Psyche Individual / Institution / Society Domains Self Human “Species” Cognitive Structures Symbols Universe Qualities Energies Symbolism Cognitive Potentialities
- 34. November 2010 © Abraham Chiasson 34