I am taking a very interesting class on the exploration of Ancient Chinese Thought when it comes to our contemporary thinking. It is ministered by professor Edward Slingerland, and it is quite neat. I came about this because one of his books I read as a recommendation by a previous professor and it has been quite the awakening for me.
Nonetheless, the course talking a bit about Confucius and his salvation through ancient rituals. Only by observing the rituals established by the Western Zhou we might find a way to be favored by heavens. It is a very powerful strategy. The more we practice, the less we have to think about it.
But what was considered to be close to heavens was a very strict version of living. Only one way was possible, and it was a solution that wouldn’t service women, foreigners, etc. The narrower it is thinking, easier it is but more exclusive as well.
In the class we call it cold into hot because of cognitive psychology. Cold cognition is what you do with your consciousness. It requires effort and energy. Hot cognition is what you do automatically, without the direction of the mind. Repeat something so many times and you will transform your action into reflexes. It is a very powerful cognitive function, that saves a lot of time and energy. The catch is that you cannot use this saved energy on anything else but the repeated actions. Quite the problem here.
It requires a lot of democratic institutions to choose the appropriated action to be repeated. A lot. Tons. Not enough. All these institution have to be working towards civil liberties 24/7 for centuries before we can find an action that resemble something that might be worthy repeating. That discounting any contrary force that may be eroding democracy setting back the progress of finding our candidate for centuries.
Until we find this candidate we must remain vigilant and we will probably fail. Until we can use Confucius strategy, we must consider it not a viable option. Nothing that is narrow, despite isn’t utilitarian sensibility, should come any closer to education and other important pillars of diversity and pluralism. Those are NOT natural, nor intuitive, nor common sense although they should. But until then we cannot capitulate for purpose.
