{"id":728,"date":"2007-11-20T03:06:41","date_gmt":"2007-11-20T08:06:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/s265039441.onlinehome.us\/philpaine\/?p=728"},"modified":"2018-08-15T20:55:16","modified_gmt":"2018-08-16T00:55:16","slug":"tuesday-november-20-2007-whats-so-simple","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.philpaine.com\/?p=728","title":{"rendered":"Tuesday, November 20, 2007 \u2014 What\u2019s So Simple?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Many things irri\u00adtate me when I read anthro\u00adpo\u00adlog\u00adi\u00adcal lit\u00ader\u00ada\u00adture, and the work of his\u00adto\u00adri\u00adans who absorb the premis\u00ades of anthro\u00adpol\u00ado\u00adgists. Ter\u00admi\u00adnol\u00ado\u00adgy is every\u00adthing, and no ter\u00admi\u00adnol\u00ado\u00adgy is \u201cneu\u00adtral\u201d. All names for par\u00adtic\u00adu\u00adlar behav\u00adiour among humans car\u00adry with them imag\u00adis\u00adtic over\u00adtones and unspo\u00adken val\u00adue judg\u00adments. Some\u00adtimes I learn, dis\u00adcon\u00adcert\u00ading\u00adly, that many schol\u00adars cus\u00adtom\u00adar\u00adi\u00adly use a sim\u00adple term with an implied mean\u00ading entire\u00adly oppo\u00adsite that which seems obvi\u00adous or nat\u00adur\u00adal to me.<\/span><\/p>\n

One of those terms is \u201cindi\u00advid\u00adu\u00adal\u00adism\u201d. Time and time again, I\u2019ve read some aca\u00add\u00ade\u00adm\u00adic paper, book, or arti\u00adcle in which the term \u201cindi\u00advid\u00adu\u00adal\u00adism\u201d is used with overt or sub\u00adtle hos\u00adtil\u00adi\u00adty. When the hos\u00adtil\u00adi\u00adty is overt, the terms \u201cself\u00adish\u201d (bad) and \u201catom\u00adistic\u201d (under\u00adstood to be very very bad) are added in sprin\u00adkles. Since \u201cindi\u00advid\u00adu\u00adal\u00adism\u201d is, in my mind, a word that des\u00adig\u00adnates the most pro\u00adfound\u00adly moral and pos\u00adi\u00adtive of human atti\u00adtudes, this usu\u00adal\u00adly leaves me some\u00adwhat baf\u00adfled. Many schol\u00adars (espe\u00adcial\u00adly, it seems, British ones) seem to use the word \u201cindi\u00advid\u00adu\u00adal\u00adism\u201d to mean \u201cself\u00adish\u00adness\u201d, and to asso\u00adciate things like class dis\u00adtinc\u00adtions, cru\u00adel\u00adty, dis\u00adhon\u00adesty, theft, and bul\u00adly\u00ading with the word. This, to me, is incom\u00adpre\u00adhen\u00adsi\u00adble non\u00adsense, since the word \u201cindi\u00advid\u00adu\u00adal\u00adism\u201d means \u201cthe prac\u00adtice of respect for all human beings as equal, autonomous, self-gov\u00adern\u00ading indi\u00advid\u00adu\u00adals, with con\u00adsis\u00adtent respect for their rights\u201d. Class dis\u00adtinc\u00adtions are the prod\u00aduct of col\u00adlec\u00adtivist thought, and indi\u00advid\u00adu\u00adal\u00adist thought requires, by def\u00adi\u00adn\u00adi\u00adtion, a total and absolute rejec\u00adtion of class dis\u00adtinc\u00adtions. All forms of bul\u00adly\u00ading are vio\u00adla\u00adtions of indi\u00advid\u00adu\u00adal\u00adist morality.<\/span><\/p>\n

Often, I\u2019ve seen writ\u00aders con\u00adtrast \u201cindi\u00advid\u00adu\u00adal\u00adism\u201d and \u201cco-oper\u00ada\u00adtion\u201d\u2026 entire books being some\u00adtimes built on the premise that they are oppo\u00adsites. Again, this defies any ratio\u00adnal def\u00adi\u00adn\u00adi\u00adtion of indi\u00advid\u00adu\u00adal\u00adism, or any use of the word that I would endorse or find nat\u00adur\u00adal. Co-oper\u00ada\u00adtion is some\u00adthing that only indi\u00advid\u00adu\u00adal\u00adists do. No col\u00adlec\u00adtivist ever prac\u00adticed co-oper\u00ada\u00adtion. Co-oper\u00ada\u00adtion is the nat\u00adur\u00adal, log\u00adi\u00adcal, and nec\u00ades\u00adsary rela\u00adtion\u00adship between indi\u00advid\u00adu\u00adal\u00adists; it is how things are done by indi\u00advid\u00adu\u00adal\u00adists when they act togeth\u00ader. To the col\u00adlec\u00adtivist men\u00adtal\u00adi\u00adty, the nat\u00adur\u00adal modes of inter\u00adac\u00adtion are vio\u00adlence, the threat of vio\u00adlence, and fraud. All the crimes and hor\u00adrors of human his\u00adto\u00adry, from the slave and death camps devised by the ide\u00adol\u00ado\u00adgy of Adolf Hitler and Karl Marx, to the small\u00adest exam\u00adple of bul\u00adly\u00ading in a school\u00adyard, are the prod\u00aduct of some form of col\u00adlec\u00adtivism, some sort of assault on the rights of the indi\u00advid\u00adual. All that is praise\u00adwor\u00adthy, and desir\u00adable in human rela\u00adtions is the prod\u00aduct of the asser\u00adtion of the equal dig\u00adni\u00adty and rights of the indi\u00advid\u00adual human being, in oth\u00ader words, of indi\u00advid\u00adu\u00adal\u00adism. Indi\u00advid\u00adu\u00adal\u00adism, co-oper\u00ada\u00adtion, egal\u00adi\u00adtar\u00adi\u00adan\u00adism, jus\u00adtice, free\u00addom, democ\u00adra\u00adcy, and civ\u00adi\u00adliza\u00adtion are near cog\u00adnates, that is, words that always belong togeth\u00ader. Any con\u00adcep\u00adtion of human affairs that attempts to con\u00adtrast them is false. Col\u00adlec\u00adtivism, vio\u00adlence, hier\u00adar\u00adchy, injus\u00adtice, oppres\u00adsion, aris\u00adtoc\u00adra\u00adcy, and bar\u00adbarism are the con\u00adtrast\u00ading set of near-cog\u00adnates, words that also belong togeth\u00ader at all times.<\/span><\/p>\n

Anoth\u00ader prac\u00adtice that annoys me is the arbi\u00adtrary use of the word \u201csim\u00adple\u201d to des\u00adig\u00adnate demo\u00adc\u00adra\u00adt\u00adic and egal\u00adi\u00adtar\u00adi\u00adan struc\u00adtures. I recent\u00adly read a paper which reviewed a vari\u00adety of \u201cexpla\u00adna\u00adtions\u201d for egal\u00adi\u00adtar\u00adi\u00adan polit\u00adi\u00adcal struc\u00adtures among var\u00adi\u00adous hunter-gath\u00ader\u00ader soci\u00adeties. In every sin\u00adgle sys\u00adtem reviewed, egal\u00adi\u00adtar\u00adi\u00adan and pro\u00adto-demo\u00adc\u00adra\u00adt\u00adic polit\u00adi\u00adcal struc\u00adtures were defined as \u201csim\u00adple\u201d, as opposed to hier\u00adar\u00adchi\u00adcal, monar\u00adchi\u00adcal, and aris\u00adto\u00adcrat\u00adic struc\u00adtures. This usage remained unques\u00adtioned by any of the schol\u00adars involved, and in fact, obtains in vir\u00adtu\u00adal\u00adly every book and arti\u00adcle I\u2019ve ever read that touch\u00ades on the sub\u00adject. Yet it plain\u00adly makes no sense. What is so damn \u201ccom\u00adplex\u201d about a polit\u00adi\u00adcal sys\u00adtem that con\u00adsists of a bunch of ass\u00adholes scream\u00ading orders at peo\u00adple, backed up by a bunch of thugs who beat them up? The fact that huge empires and big pyra\u00admids have been built by this process does not make it either com\u00adplex or sophis\u00adti\u00adcat\u00aded. This kind of polit\u00adi\u00adcal sys\u00adtem exists, in iden\u00adti\u00adcal form, among many troops of baboons. Egal\u00adi\u00adtar\u00adi\u00adan deci\u00adsion-mak\u00ading, by con\u00adtrast, requires sophis\u00adti\u00adcat\u00aded tech\u00adniques of debate, con\u00adcen\u00adsus-form\u00ading, and accom\u00admo\u00adda\u00adtion. There is noth\u00ading sim\u00adple about it. Bash\u00ading in heads is sim\u00adple. Democ\u00adra\u00adcy is sophisticated.<\/span><\/p>\n

But, if you accept the premis\u00ades behind the cul\u00adtur\u00adal clas\u00adsi\u00adfi\u00adca\u00adtions employed by most of our his\u00adto\u00adri\u00adans and anthro\u00adpol\u00ado\u00adgists, then the polit\u00adi\u00adcal body that I inhab\u00adit, in which mil\u00adlions of peo\u00adple with dif\u00adfer\u00adent eth\u00adnic, reli\u00adgious, and cul\u00adtur\u00adal back\u00adgrounds engage in a myr\u00adi\u00adad of eco\u00adnom\u00adic and social inter\u00adac\u00adtions with vis\u00adi\u00adble har\u00admo\u00adny and good tem\u00adper, and in which I can eas\u00adi\u00adly approach a fed\u00ader\u00adal cab\u00adi\u00adnet min\u00adis\u00adter and argue nation\u00adal pol\u00adi\u00adcy, is defined as \u201csim\u00adpler\u201d and \u201cmore prim\u00adi\u00adtive\u201d than the hier\u00adar\u00adchi\u00adcal Nazi death camp at Buchen\u00adwald, where there was no trou\u00adble deter\u00admin\u00ading who was in charge and who was not.<\/span><\/p>\n

This sil\u00adly scheme of hunter-gath\u00ader\u00aders exem\u00adpli\u00adfy\u00ading a \u201csim\u00adple\u201d polit\u00adi\u00adcal sys\u00adtem which sup\u00adpos\u00aded\u00adly inevitably evolved into a \u201ccom\u00adplex\u201d and \u201csophis\u00adti\u00adcat\u00aded\u201d sys\u00adtem of aris\u00adtoc\u00adra\u00adcy and inequal\u00adi\u00adty is part of the over\u00adall bun\u00addle of non\u00adsense that we have inher\u00adit\u00aded from nine\u00adteenth cen\u00adtu\u00adry philoso\u00adphers. They trans\u00adformed their wor\u00adship of pow\u00ader into a frame\u00adwork of clich\u00e9s, all of which re-enforced the sup\u00adpo\u00adsi\u00adtion that indi\u00advid\u00adu\u00adal\u00adist-egal\u00adi\u00adtar\u00adi\u00adan-demo\u00adc\u00adra\u00adt\u00adic ideas are \u201cprim\u00adi\u00adtive\u201d, while col\u00adlec\u00adtivist ones are \u201cadvanced\u201d. You see the residue of this in every muse\u00adum dis\u00adplay or school text\u00adbook in which it is glibly explained that some soci\u00adety \u201cevolved\u201d into a \u201cciv\u00adi\u00adlized\u201d state by acquir\u00ading an aristocracy.<\/span><\/p>\n

It is time we grew up, and real\u00adized that thug\u00adgery is not sophisticated.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Many things irri\u00adtate me when I read anthro\u00adpo\u00adlog\u00adi\u00adcal lit\u00ader\u00ada\u00adture, and the work of his\u00adto\u00adri\u00adans who absorb the premis\u00ades of anthro\u00adpol\u00ado\u00adgists. Ter\u00admi\u00adnol\u00ado\u00adgy is every\u00adthing, and no ter\u00admi\u00adnol\u00ado\u00adgy is \u201cneu\u00adtral\u201d. All names for par\u00adtic\u00adu\u00adlar behav\u00adiour among humans car\u00adry with them imag\u00adis\u00adtic over\u00adtones and unspoken \u2026<\/p>\n

Read more \u00bb<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wp_typography_post_enhancements_disabled":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-728","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-a-blog","category-at-blog-2007"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.philpaine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/728","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.philpaine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.philpaine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.philpaine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.philpaine.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=728"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/www.philpaine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/728\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8805,"href":"http:\/\/www.philpaine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/728\/revisions\/8805"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.philpaine.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=728"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.philpaine.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=728"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.philpaine.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=728"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}