ethics (ethical dynamics) - chapter 2:ethics and our cognitive (social) structures and...

Chapter 2

Ethics and our Cognitive (Social) Structures

and Potentialities

Our core human potentialities – for individuals, institutions and societies - grow via our cognitive (social)

structures and potentialities: those that make it possible to bring about a ‘specifically’ human world.

November 2010 1© Abraham Chiasson

Chapter 2 Ethics and our Cognitive (Social) Structures and Potentialities

Some definitions -

Cognition will be viewed as a ‘continual bringing forth of a world’1 and, will lead us to a dynamic understanding of ethics. (1- Cognition will be further described in the Chapter on Living Systems.)

Ethics will be viewed as a process of cognition ever searching for the most effective expression of all our human and social2 potentialities in bringing forth a human world. (2- Social potentialities will be described in Chapter 6.)

Cognitive (social) structures and potentialities will be viewed as our individual and collective instruments of cognition i.e., those that permit us to create our social realities and, ultimately, our collective psyche.

November 2010 © Abraham Chiasson 2


Chapter 2 will examine ethics and -

Our ‘cognitive (social) structures and potentialities’ – those associated with –

Our overall human nature and, the ‘self’,

Our domains of endeavour and, those related to ‘individuals / institutions / societies’ and,

Our ‘collective human psyche’ or, the reality of our collective and historical human experience.



Cognitive (Social) Structures -


Human

NatureSelf

Domains

of endeavour

Indiviudal

/

Institutions

/

Society

Collective

Psyche



CognitivePotentialities

Cognitive & Social Structures live in the world of our Cognitive

Potentialities

Cognitive

Structures

Social

Structures


1. Core ‘Human Cognitive Potentialities’

Those cognitive potentialities that nature has given us as a species to start us on our human (social) journey.

Those cognitive potentialities associated with our human nature and being possessed by all who share in our human nature.

Those potentialities that underlie and give life to our

other cognitive (social) structures.



1. Core Human Cognitive Potentialities…

Our ‘core human cognitive potentialities’ have seven dimensions.

Each dimension has a specific capacity for bringing forth a human world and is in a synergistic relationship with all of the others.




1. Core Human Cognitive

Potentialities…

Core

‘Human’ Cognitive

Potentialities

Symbolism

Behaviors

Explanations

InventionFaith

Reason

Technique


1. Core Human Cognitive Potentialities…

Implications e.g.,

Symbolism gives a sharable ‘human’ (social) reality to our mental images – it activates our emotions with their associated perceptions and feelings and sparks our other cognitive potentialities;

Our ‘core human cognitive potentialities’ will drive, and be enriched by, our capacity to transform e.g., the emotions – perceptions – feelings, of our mental images; and,

Ethics (individual, institutional and societal) must engage all our human cognitive potentialities and help them grow to their full potential.



2. Cognitive potentialities and the ‘self’

‘Core human cognitive potentialities’ bring about the self’s cognitive potentialities, those that drive our quest as individuals, institutions and societies, for a richer autobiographical sense of self in bringing forth our world -.

E.g., those cognitive potentialities that provide for a sense of ‘autobiographical self’ for the individual, institution and society, and pave the way for effective social engagements…




2. Cognitive potentialities - “self”.

Cognitive Potentialities

“Self”

Energies

Embodiment

Empathy

UniquenessBeliefs

Meaning

Information


2. Cognitive potentialities and the self…

Implications e.g.,

Symbolism as a ‘core human cognitive potentiality’ brings about the ‘cognitive energies’ of the self – those energies which engage 'body and mind’ and,

Behaviors provide the self with the potential for embodying the ‘cognitive energies’ associated with ‘symbolism’.

As a ‘self’ cognitive potentiality, beliefs must be associated with the self's sense of empathy and the other ‘self’ cognitive potentialities and,

Beliefs not giving rise to useful meaning and information (about the world), will quickly wither into irrelevance.



3. Social Structures and Cognitive Potentialities

Social structures – cognitive structures - express our collective instruments of cognition i.e., those essential to the creation, development and maintenance of our social realities:

3.1 Domains of ‘endeavour’ express and give social relevance / structure to our cognitive potentialities;

3.2 Institutions (individuals and societies) and their organizations - our social 'relational’ structures - are the basis, for our social relationships; and,


Chapter 2 Ethics and our Cognitive (Social) Structures andPotentialities

Specifically, social structures serve to:

Give social relevance and meaning to our core human potentialities (and, to our social potentialities) - and,

Create the social dynamics needed for the development of our overall cognitive potentialities.


Human(& Social)

Potentialities

CognitivePotentialities

Social Structures &

Dynamics


3.1 Domains (of human endeavour)

Domains – our core social structures - express and give social relevance and structure to our cognitive potentialities’, specifically, they –

Give life and meaning (an intentionality) to a social context via their actualization by an individual, institution or society as a whole and, are the -

Conduit for the individual, the institution and ‘ultimately’ society’s contribution to their social environments.



3.1 Domains (of human endeavour)…

Domains are the result of a synergy driven at its core by our ‘human potentialities’ (Chapter 1) and, social potentialities (Chapters 6, 7 & 8)

With those ‘core human and social potentialities’ taking shape in domains via our overall cognitive potentialities; and,

Themselves finding ‘specific’ expression in the cognitive potentialities of socially constructed domains.



3.1 Domains (of human endeavour)



“Domains”

‘Social’

Qualities

Forms

Stories

BeautyValues

Truths

Theories



Domain cognitive potentialities engage us with the world – as

examples -

Social qualities e.g., symbolizing rationality, wealth, and justice…, engage ‘socially’ the energies of the self;

Stories about how the world works grow our potential for empathy;

Values give social expression to the self’s beliefs; and,

Theories - how individual… action via ‘domains’ can transform the ‘world’.




What would be some of the resulting challenges for more open, shared and responsible ethical dynamics?

Domain contribution values must enhance our potential for faith;

Domain cognitive potentialities must aim to be in synergy with our human cognitive potentialities and those of the self;

Values must provide for the development of the domain's other dimensions; and,

Institutional ethical dynamics that change the domain’s qualities, forms, stories… will have an effect on domain values.



3.2 Institutions and their organizations(Individuals, ‘Institutions’ and Societies)

‘Institutions and their organizations - our social 'relational' structures - are the basis for our social relationships’

Institutions and their organizations are:

The social expression of our cognitive potentialities for ‘collective’ action and relevance;

The social vehicles for the enactment of our domain contributions;

The core architecture of socio-political landscapes; and, History’s medium for maintaining and transforming our collective

history – our ability to do things collectively -.



3.2 Institutions and their organizations…

Institutions (and their organizations) provide our domain contributions with -

The wherewithal for socio-political relevance by giving life to, and being connected to, a web of institutional relationships - the world of the polity or organized society; and, thereby,

A capacity for their transformation and growth – of their domain cognitive characteristics - i.e., with the ability to develop new and more appropriate stories, truths and theories…



3.2 Institutions and their organizations…

Institutions (and, the individual and societies) have been the socio-political instruments for the ‘self’ in bringing together via domain contributions and their cognitive characteristics:

The self’s core human potentialities e.g., for consciousness and a sense of vision and, the self’s core cognitive potentialities e.g., for embodiment, and meaning. (and, as we will see later, the self’s social potentialities)



3.2 Institutions …



3.2 Institutions and their




“Individuals /

Institutions /

Society”

Universe

Order

Ethos

AestheticsEthics

Ideology

Knowledge


3.2 Institutions - the role of their cognitive potentialities

Universe - Each institution (as is the case for individuals and societies) has its own universe i.e., those ‘vital realities and issues’ that have brought about the institution and for which it continues to exist.

Order - Institutions bring a specific order to their universe of realities and issues by giving a specific form to their institutional (domain) contributions e.g., laws in the case of Parliament.

Ethos - The stories associated with institutional domain contributions bring about the development of an institutional ethos - how specific issues are dealt with and the realities which they bring about.



3.2 Institutions - the role of their cognitive potentialities...

Aesthetics - Institutions mediate domain contributions also on the basis of their sense of beauty - institutional aesthetics e.g., principles associated with its sense of beauty.

Ethics - Institutional mediation of domain contribution values is done on the basis of and, brings about, its ethics e.g., the ethical aspirations that will drive the resolution of its institutional issues.

Ideology - Institutional mediation of domain related truths lead to a

specific institutional ideology - its ‘body’ of truths about its realities.

Knowledge - Institutions use domain theories for the development of institutional knowledge - ‘how the world works’ - making them capable of addressing ‘successfully’ their institutional realities and issues.



3.2 Institutions - their cognitive potentialities... - resulting challenges for more open, shared and responsible ethical dynamics.

Institutional (or ‘individual’ or ‘societal’) cognitive potentialities all ‘thrive or die’ together –

Institutional ethics must (as examples):

Contribute to internal and external synergies via core institutional – human - potentialities e.g., those of ‘consciousness’ and ‘vision and hope’ and,

Those related to its core social potentialities e.g., those related to accountability and sense of destiny; and,

Grow individual, institutional and societal domain contributions and their cognitive potentialities.



4. Collective human psyche - “We are all in this together!”

Our ‘mind’★ – the reality and sum of our thoughts and feelings – exists inasmuch as it is connected to and nourished by -

The realities and dynamics of the physical universe – those that give rise to our ‘human nature’ - and, the realities and dynamics of our social universe.

Physical Universe < -- Individual Mind -- > Social Universe

★ as individuals, institutions and societies…




‘Collective human psyche’ - the reality of our collective human experience –

Metaphorically -

1) mind – psyche –,

2) our specific – human – world,

3) and, our symbiosis with our - collective - social and historical reality.


© Abraham Chiasson 30

Chapter 2 Ethics and our Cognitive (Social) Structures and Potentialities4. Collective human psyche –

Cognitive potentialities

January 2010

Collective

Human

Psyche

Symbos

Rituals

Myths

ArtReligion

Philosophy

Science



An example: Domains – their creation and development via the ‘self’ – are at the intersect of our 'human and social' cognitive potentialities and, the dimensions of our collective human psyche.


Self

‘Human & SocialCognitive

PotentialitiesDomains

DimensionsCollective Human

Psyche


3. Collective human psyche - “We are all in this together!”…

Resulting challenges for more open… ethical dynamics?

To grow our ‘collective human psyche’ via ethics and and their impact on our social realities, as a condition for the growth of our core human and social potentialities, and of our overall cognitive potentialities.



Chapter 2 Ethics and our Cognitive (Social) Structures and Potentialities - Summary

September 2010 © Abraham Chiasson 33

Cognitive Structures Cognitive Potentialities – Ex.

Collective Human Psyche

Individual / Institution / Society

Domains

Self

Human “Species”

Cognitive

Structures

Symbols

Universe

Qualities

Energies

Symbolism

Cognitive

Potentialities

Chapter 2 Ethics and our Cognitive (Social) Structures and Potentialities– Cognitive potentialities ‘as a whole’ -

Qualities

Forms

Stories

BeautyValues

Truths

Theories

Symbolism

Behaviors

Faith

Reason

Technique

Invention

Energies

UniquenessBeliefs

Meaning

Information

Domains

Self

Human

Potentialities

Explanations

Ethics-Col.Hum.Psy.-2

Embodiment

Empathy

Symbols

Rituals

Myths

Art

Religion

Philosophy

Science

Collective Human Psyche

Universe

Order

Ethos

Aesthetics

Ethics

Ideology

Knowledge

Human & Social


Institutional & Societal

Characteristics


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