I have found it interesting that to oppose a narrative is to play a part in its power, for instance to walk around as the only unmasked guy helps unite everybody else wearing masks. René Girard describes our habit of grouping around alternative theories as fashion: everybody swerving away from an established course at the same time and in the same direction. It has to do with our desire to be imitated but not too closely, because perfect imitation leads to a loss of my identity.
This is genius. I agree with you I believe this is a new field in its infancy. Up until now I was only able to find Desmet talking about this stuff in such depth. While your observations are very thought provoking and would appear to me spot on, I suspect that at least some of the dynamics described here may be emergent phenomena, which may be better accounted for by looking at the micro -- inter/intra-personal dynamics rather than the macro. For example I have always wondered how much maximum group size (a la Dunbar) might be contributing to what is going on. Could the acceleration of (perceived) interpersonal contact through technology have brought social groups to some threshold? Is it possible this phenomena is driving all of the NSGs (except death and merger perhaps)?
I have found it interesting that to oppose a narrative is to play a part in its power, for instance to walk around as the only unmasked guy helps unite everybody else wearing masks. René Girard describes our habit of grouping around alternative theories as fashion: everybody swerving away from an established course at the same time and in the same direction. It has to do with our desire to be imitated but not too closely, because perfect imitation leads to a loss of my identity.
Here are some other similar ideas (of a different cluster) worth considering:
- Luxury Beliefs https://robkhenderson.substack.com/p/luxury-beliefs-are-like-possessions?s=r https://robkhenderson.substack.com/p/status-symbols-and-the-struggle-for?s=r https://www.samstack.io/p/why-i-am-sceptical-about-luxury-beliefs?s=r
- Meta-contrarianism https://sachink.substack.com/p/midwits-and-meta-contrarianism?s=r https://etiennefd.substack.com/p/the-iq-bell-curve-meme?s=r https://philosophyinhell.substack.com/p/normie-epistemologists-hate-him?s=r
They seemed like the seed problems of extended moral panic that cannot be stopped, displaced, or neutralized, but less radical.
This is genius. I agree with you I believe this is a new field in its infancy. Up until now I was only able to find Desmet talking about this stuff in such depth. While your observations are very thought provoking and would appear to me spot on, I suspect that at least some of the dynamics described here may be emergent phenomena, which may be better accounted for by looking at the micro -- inter/intra-personal dynamics rather than the macro. For example I have always wondered how much maximum group size (a la Dunbar) might be contributing to what is going on. Could the acceleration of (perceived) interpersonal contact through technology have brought social groups to some threshold? Is it possible this phenomena is driving all of the NSGs (except death and merger perhaps)?