Social Justice and Intellectual Suppression

By Taysir Nashif

Based on observed dynamic interaction among natural, socio-cultural and political factors, the main proposition adopted in the book is that politics are inherent in all human relations, that thought is constrained by interacting subjective and objective variable factors, that intellectual conservatism cannot catch up with dynamic intellectual reality, that ideology restrains intellectual emancipation, and that intellectual suppression is inherent in socio-political relations among individual and collective entities.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Aug 8, 2011
• ISBN: 9781463444587

Taysir Nashif

Taysir Nashif earned B.A. and M.A. degrees in political Science and Arabic language and literature, and a Ph.D. degree in political science from the SUNY at Binghamton. He served as an assistant professor of sociology and Arabic at the University of Oran, Algeria, and Temple University, respectively. He served as a political affairs officer and an Arabic translator and reviser at the UN, NY. His published writings, in both English and Arabic, deal with socio-political change, nuclear disarmament and rise and decline of civilizations.

Book preview

Contents

Preface

The Global System

and Sub-Systems

Politics and Influence

Culture and Western

Cultural Influence

Uniform Lines of Thinking and Intellectual Inconsistency

Intellectual Dichotomy

Intellectual Conservatism

and Dynamics of Reality

Dichotomy and Science,

Philosophy and Logic

Relativity and Multiplicity

of Dimensions

Ideality and Dynamics

of Concepts and

Intellectual Suppression

Ideologies and Intellectual Dichotomy

Names and Slowness of

Intellectual Development

Dichotomy, Analysis and Explanation

Determinism and Selectivity

Excessive Capitalism

and Rationalism

Hierarchical Order and

Intellectual Transgression

Existential Dynamism

and Open Mindedness

Passing of Judgment,

Generalization and Suppression

Survival of the Fittest

and Suppression

Subjective and Objective

Factors and Prestige

Contentment with the

Familiar and Open Mindedness

Reading and Political-Cultural

Projection

Social Change and Technology

Evasion of Frank Discussion

and Intellectual Suppression

Disproportion in Attribution

of Responsibility

Ideology and Criticism

Excess of Commendation

and Intellectual Restriction

Means to Weaken Dichotomy

A Holistic Approach to Development and Underdevelopment

A Select Bibliography

In memory of

Najm Al-Diin and

‘Aa’isha Al-Nashif

Preface

The developing countries—including their peoples, societies and institutions—are heavily exposed to foreign cultural messages, which are transmitted by traditional and modern tools of technological communication media. Developing peoples, that are facing fateful social and economic challenges, are going through cultural, political and economic transitional stage. The fact that these peoples are going through this stage makes it easier for foreign cultural messages to exert a stronger influence in many walks of life. Attempts among the developing peoples to counter some foreign influences have made governmental and non-governmental bodies engaged for a long time, hence making it easier for such transmission of messages to be more effective.

The essential ideas in this book, which I have written in the last three years, are that politics, or the art of acquiring the means of influence to achieve goals, are inherent in all human relations; that thought is split between the interacting subjective and objective variable factors and is constrained by interactive social relations; that intellectual conservatism cannot catch up with dynamic intellectual reality; that ideology restrains intellectual emancipation, and that on the basis of dynamic interaction among natural, social, cultural, political and psychological variable factors, and of the preponderant role being played by the political factor, the adopted view is that political and social relations among individuals, groups, states, and other entities involve social and intellectual injustice.

In putting forth and analyzing these relations, the book pays a considerable attention to the developing countries. No understanding of the nature of the socio-cultural relations would be achieved without fathoming and grasping the political factor which is always present in such relations.

Factors, throughout the study, are understood as interrelated, dynamic and experiencing interaction.

Concepts, such as development, progress and awakening, or some of their aspects, are sometimes used interchangeably.

People’s achievement of perfection is illusion. Because of their psychological conditions and their cultural, social, political and economic circumstances, they cannot reach perfection. Such circumstances prevent their attainment of perfection.

Suppression is one of the main topics in this book. Suppression varies in terms of its intensity and comprehension. Some concepts have shared or common features with other concepts. Concept of suppression is a good example. While suppression, oppression, repression, subjugation, silencing, deprivation, coercion, restriction, enslavement, limitation and others have shared aspects or dimensions, they also differ in terms of other aspects or dimensions. Political, cultural, economic and psychological contexts in a given place and time determine the form of suppression that fits a certain context. While a certain concept may be specifically mentioned in the following treatment, statements and conclusions may be true of the other related concepts in as much as the context or meaning allows.

Taysir Nashif

July 2011 Hamilton, NJ

[e-mail]

The Global System

and Sub-Systems

A global system or a sub-system is conditioned by the interaction among variable factors and is influenced by the extent of the presence-influence of the political variable. Any act, action, activity, statement, idea, need, want, individual, group, expectation, poverty, aspiration, myth, legend, belief, history, religion, tradition, sect, national sense, ethnicity, perception, misperception, influence, culture, circumstance, pressure, politics, policy, strategy, plan, project, tactic, state, government, legitimacy, illegitimacy, dictation, season, sense of dignity, oppression, wealth, social gap, status, stratification or lack of any of which is a variable factor.

A system is a combination of knowingly or unknowingly interrelated, interdependent and interacting variable factors that exert influence and/or cause the performance of hidden and/or unknown functions, leading to the formation of a collective entity with a control mechanism that significantly helps the variable factors perform their functions. This control mechanism is politics. Politics, as defined here, is use of means to acquire the ability of influence needed to achieve certain goals.

Politics is the dominant variable or factor in a system. No other variable, such as professionalism, ethics, knowledge, objectivity or analysis, can match the influence generated by politics; that is because of the fact that politics is in the nature of man, is the dominant factor in human attitude and behavior, is subtle (sneaky) and is less sensitive to non-political factors. A factor in the global system which is supported by political influence is a factor which enjoys the upper hand.

A global system is one where the political factor plays a major role in, or exercises a major influence on, or has a bigger presence in, determining the functionality of the other factors in the system. The characterization of a given system as global, major, big or a sub-system depends on the extent of effect of the political factor vis-a-vis the other factors in determining the proportion of each factor in bringing about the extent of the factors’ influence in the system, in determining the relations among the various factors, and in determining the significance of each factor in that system.

The source of the political factor may be wealth, genealogy, finance, thought, nepotism, friendship, legitimacy, learning, occupation, specialization, charisma, enjoyment of exercise of power and authority, policy, plan, strategy, or any combination of these and of other factors.

The influence of these sources and others is a result, to varying degrees, of the political factor. Each factor, or its absence, is political, in the sense that it exercises an influence on the other factors, with its presence or absence. The statement that a present factor exercises an influence is more understandable than a statement that an absent factor exercises an influence. The influence of an absent factor comes about by the fact that its absence influences the nature of the interaction of the present and the other absent factors. In this case, with the absence of a factor, the result of the interaction is different. This statement actually means that the absent factor is present with its absence or that the absence is a form of presence

Whereas politics is exercised in all conceivable fields, it is more present, pronounced or dominant in some fields, for example, mayoralty of a town, than in others. Politics is more evident, for instance, in government, management and state affairs than in the process of fishing or skiing. Also, there are fields which more lend themselves to politics than do others. Parliamentary or local elections more lend themselves to politics than taking a cruising trip.

There is a global system, which includes sub-systems. Within a sub-system there are also sub-sub-systems. What determines a system’s being global or a sub-system is the political presence or lack of it. The Southwest Asian and North African area, for example, is a sub-system which is part of the global system.

There are varying degrees of interrelatedness and interaction among these factors. Thus, the impact of the factors in each sub-system or of the global system is dynamically varying. A system is not the factors present only; it is, rather, besides the present factors, the absent factors in their influence with their various and varying degree of strength. Occurrence of an influence of a so-called absent factor on present variable factors makes that absent factor a present factor.

According to this model of a system, variable factors are relevant and internal. Their relevance makes them internal. There are no irrelevant or external factors. To describe a factor as irrelevant or external disqualifies it as a factor. Some factors are essentially political. Other factors are not essentially political: objectivity, analysis, professionalism, distinction between objective and subjective factors, through explanation, knowledge, expertise, skills, logic, science and technology are not essentially political. Yet, in these characteristics, which contain a greater presence of the objective, is inherent a political presence.

To say that a system is global or that there is a sub-system does not mean that a factor, of less or more political nature, in a sub-system is not likely to influence the global system or other sub-systems. It is by nature of the factor to leave its influence not only within its limits, but