The Self-ish Person or the Identity Surrenderer
Which the Danger?
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Read David Coady's paper, "Obedience to Authority and Unjustified Police Violence," at ://www.utas.edu.au/philosophy/cape/WORD%20FILES/Police_Ethics.pdf/..
He quotes Arthur Koestler, "The Ghost in the Machine," a book from1967 at page 246. The theory as laid out there, in Koestler's book, is said to be this - we have not read it yet: that the selfish person is not the concern for society.
The concern for society is instead the integrative person; those people who surrender their identities to the leader or group, whether in religion, or political party, or whatever.
The danger, then, is the true believer. That is, primitive structures in our makeup overpower our logical functions, see the general review of the Koestler book at Wikipedia for a start, at ://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost_in_the_machine
From that, can we conclude: that it is not the Hitlers or Rush Limbaughs or others ranting to make themselves big, that we should watch closely. They may indeed be Part I, the Self-ish kinds, and not desirable role models. But without Part II, the rest of us, they would fizzle out like an open can of Coke.
We should be concerned instead about the integrative tendencies in people, in us, that the selfish ones exploit - that lead us to want to follow something, associate, with them, follow. And we do. Is it like wanting to be popular - perhaps.
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Looking at the impact of Integratives:
Medieval history and its feudalism, stratifications, authority structures, is part of the lifeblood of Europe, in ways that is probably not true in America.
Look at the Teutonic Knights, after the Crusades, and their ready re-commissioning and re-focus to conquer Orthodox Christians in Eastern Europe after the conquering of infidels in the Holy Land failed. See the history at Middle Ages, at ://www.middle-ages.org.uk/teutonic-knights.htm/
Now, read their Oath as Teutonic Knights. This is not a believer-criticism, but an objective observation: that their Oath as "Christians" never mentions Jesus, or Christ.
Instead, fidelity flows to a) Mary and b) God and c) the Master of the Teutonic Knights. Not even a Pope, or a Church. Mary is more important than Jesus. Is that so?
This group flourished long after the Knights Templar, their rivals, were destroyed. What theology or other personal resource was tapped. The Integrative elements?
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Here is the Teutonic Knight oath:
"I ... do profess and promise chastity, giving up all property, and obedience to God and the Blessed Virgin Mary and to you, Brother ... Master of the Teutonic Order, and to your successors, according to the Rules and Regulations of the Order. And I will be obedient to you, and to your successors, even unto death." See ://www.middle-ages.org.uk/teutonic-knights.htm/
Germany, Teutonic Knights, Infidels
and Europe then, and all of us now.
Fear of the Integrative. How are followers made so ready to follow; or is it inbred. Who was, or is, an infidel? Is an infidel anyone who does not follow the chosen dogmas of those in power in a certain place. It is relative, then.
Those issues are still being disputed. Who dictates, and who follows. See a German-oriented experience in the Teutonic Knights, at Germany Road Ways, Fritzlar and Alsfeld; and the Teutonic Knights.
Examine violence in cultures, any culture, religious or secular, with a strong sense of "authority."
Hooked rug, for shoving things under Go back to the David Coady paper. There is a philosophical issue raised in the context of law enforcement by David Coady and others, in the paper, "Obedience to Authority and Unjustified Police Violence," see ://www.utas.edu.au/philosophy/cape/WORD%20FILES/Police_Ethics.pdf/.
It refers to the Milgram Study where obedience to authority led people to act in violent ways they otherwise would probably not have. They could excuse themselves because they were only following the authority. Read about it at the CNN site, that includes the look-back and affirmation of findings, at CNN at ://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/12/19/milgram.experiment.obedience/
Are those issues relevant to nations, including ours.
