Evolution is a nonteleological process. It has no "end," no directive. It is simply a description of a process that occurs, and that process is that the organisms best adapted to a particular environment will enjoy the greatest chance of survival in that same environment. It is easy to discursively address this process with falsely teleological terms, though, and discussions that attempt to explain evolution often make this mistake.
(Part one of this series dealt with the nature of apocalypticism and its ability to create an insular culture. Part two concerned the investiture of otherness into the primary culture.)
Adherents to the apocalyptic tradition have now, in pluralist societies, two powers not well known to secondary cultures: freedoms of religion and association. By removing the social structures so effective in oppressing the minority culture, the primary has disarmed one of the major reasons for continued loyalty to the apocalyptic secondary identity (and the infrastructure that surrounds it). If there are no codified methods of oppression, then the methods and metaphors of apocalypticism lose relevance as critical techniques.
Continue reading "Apocalypticism as social control (III)." »
One of the more enduring myths we tell ourselves as participants in American culture is the quintessential deception of the "American Dream": that no matter who you are, or how dispirited you have become, it is possible to achieve anything simply by working hard enough.
There are two problems with the myth of the American Dream. The first is the simplest: It isn't true.