What if all 8 billion people started reading philosophy/science and start questioning deeply about life, society, values, and truth? > Likes and Comments
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A fantastic thought experiment, worthy of a book-length exploration. You presuppose everyone is capable of reading and understanding philosophy. Maybe this is my misanthropy speaking, but I doubt that is true. That said, I do believe that many more people are capable of attaining philosophical sophistication than ever seek it. For many, such ambitions are just an inconceivable luxury. They are absorbed in the task of meeting basic material needs. Many still lack even sufficient literacy. For others, they simply have no interest in philosophy. Abstraction repulses them, or their metaphysical cravings are satisfied by the narratives of traditional religion. (Schopenhauer called religion "metaphysics of the people.")
Still, if even a fifth of humanity, for instance, devoted itself sincerely and rigorously to philosophical inquiry, the results might well be as transformative as you suggest. Your description evokes the transhumanist project, which envisions humanity seizing the reigns of its own evolution to usher in an unprecedented epoch of enlightenment.
then there would be 8 billion people reading similar books. Most wouldn't understand them because their education systems haven't given them enough context, critical ability or background knowledge to engage in a meaningful way. The rest of us already engage. Final result - exactly what we have now.
99.9% would go back to reading the Daily Mail after glancing at the title page of Adorno’s “Negative Dialectics” and we’d get the same world we have now.
Profit would no longer be the focus of economics and the environmental "cost" of a product would become part of its price tag. Society would likely shift to Post-Materialism.Literal interpretations of dogma would fade with an end to demagoguery and dissolving labels, focusing instead on the interconnectedness of all beings. Universal ethical responsibility would be acknowledged and the secular sciences are viewed as sacred. Conflict would not disappear but instead becomes constructive.
Unfortunately the human brain is wired to demand certainty, and overcoming "existential dread" would need to be a supported fact of life. It would be imperative that this reborn society incorporate new rituals for rest to overcome intellectual fatigue, knowing analysis paralysis is the main threat. It is critical to remember to do the "how" while finding the "why."
It would also be important to ensure that history is not repeated and the underclass are not exploited to serve the higher "thinkers" - lack of automation and "cognitive inequality" would be genuine concerns.
Deconstructing the social constructs of life would lead to the social glue of society dissolving, demanding the importance of some form of coordination for times when large-scale collective action is necessary.
This is not just about literacy or education, but about a global shift in consciousness. What would happen to politics, religion, economics, relationships, and identity if everyone became a thinker?
Would we see enlightenment or chaos?
Would institutions collapse or evolve?
Would gossip and tribalism fade, or take new forms?
Could humanity sustain such relentless inquiry, or would it fragment under the weight of too many perspectives?
I would love to hear your thoughts on how this imaginary society might evolve decade by decade over fifty years. What changes do you foresee in:
- The first decade (awakening)
- The second decade (disruption)
- The third decade (rebuilding)
- The fourth decade (integration)
- The fifth decade (transformation)
Feel free to bring in historical parallels, philosophical ideas, or even fictional references.
Thanks,