It begins by observing how the globalist totalitarians; such as those of the Davos/ WEF gang - or indeed essentially-all multi-national organization, Western governments, the mass media and large social institutions generally - have in recent months been "trailing their coats" (i.e. looking for a fight) on the subject of what they call "disinformation" - by which they mean facts inconvenient to Their strategies.
As Berger describes; it seems natural for Christians to take up this challenge to The Truth by becoming - more or less - "Information Warriors": and thereby entering the globalists arena to content the nature of "factual truth".
It seems natural... but it is a strategic mistake for Romantic Christians; because by accepting these terms of engagement, we have given ultimate victory to those who are asserting that Reality is merely the passively-imposed sum of our perceptions, of what we believe to be "true facts".
This is the metaphysics of Information War: a world in which human beings are externally manipulated either into believing the truth, or lies - and where Christians ought to take-up-arms on the side of truth.
However; by this metaphysics of Man's passivity; whatever the specific outcome of any particular battle over true facts might be; the world picture being accepted is one in which whoever controls public discourse, necessarily controls the minds of Men.
Consequently, by such reasoning; to be an active Christian should mean to become some kind of Information Warrior, fighting the Information War.
But the Information War is not the Spiritual War!
Thus; Berger goes on to re-locate discussion at the metaphysical level of our ultimate underlying assumptions concerning the nature of reality: which is the level from-which what counts as "true facts", versus what counts as "disinformation", is actually generated.
(Because all "evidence" depends on assumptions as to what-counts-as evidence, and what-counts-as strong evidence, and what-counts-as winning an argument.)
Such an examination leads us to recognize that information is Not ultimate; but instead what is ultimate is "direct-knowing".
Only from a basis in direct-knowing can there be information. Information - words, images, audio and every other kind - is "symbolic"; and symbols are intermediate in communication, standing between the communicator and communicatee.
Information is mediated communication, and all symbols requires decoding - yet that decoding is into yet more symbols! - and so, unless direct-knowing is acknowledged as possible, there can be no escape from symbols!
One who believes in the primacy of information is confronted by an infinite regress of interpretations, where "truth" dissolves into whatever people can be manipulated to believe.
Berger concludes that the implied invitation to Information War is designed to lure us into a spiritual trap; which is a version of "relativistic" or "subjectivist" metaphysics.
We are being asked spiritually to endorse a world where everybody chooses to believe that Information is the primary reality; a world in which our minds, attitudes, beliefs, behaviours etc. are playthings and tools of those who control public discourse.
Ultimately, Information War is conceptually fought between rival totalitarian tyrants; and Christians are being asked to support (that oxymoron) Christian totalitarianism*; as the alternative to Satanic totalitarianism.
(*In reality; totalitarianism is always because intrinsically evil; that is, intrinsically opposed to Man's proper task in divine creation -- Because the assumption of freedom, of agency - and therefore the possibility and primacy of individual spiritual choice - is foundational to Christianity.)
Therefore; Berger advises us to decline the implied "invitation" to become Information Warriors ("or else" accept the fate we have devised for you!); and instead to take our own thinking down to a level deeper than wrangling over "facts".
3 comments:
Well, I have to say, your commentary on the post is more masterly than the post itself!
"Information is mediated communication, and all symbols requires decoding - yet that decoding is into yet more symbols! - and so, unless direct-knowing is acknowledged as possible, there can be no escape from symbols!
One who believes in the primacy of information is confronted by an infinite regress of interpretations, where "truth" dissolves into whatever people can be manipulated to believe."
Yes, this is key. I sense that we are being nudged, ever more emphatically, toward engaging in direct-knowing/primary thinking. Without that, we're trapped in information, which is exactly where They appear to want to keep us. (BTW, I owe the bulk of my recent thinking about direct-knowing to you and your work on the subject, particulary on this blog.)
@Frank - In this business I have the "advantage" of having been pretty-solidly on the Other Side, the wrong side, up into the middle 2000s - and being probably at best only one remove from the WEF. This included a deep-dive into exactly the "infinite regress" of symbols, that I approached via complex systems theory: e.g. https://www.hedweb.com/bgcharlton/modernization-imperative.html, especially the Appendix... (Note: I reference this book in a somewhat confessional and repentant spirit, rather than as a "Must Read" recommendation!)
This post reminds me of a couple of posts you wrote a while back, about it dawning on you that the unitary atom-like agents of economic theory (forget your terminology) were fictions and economics could never get it be right. These are the metaphysics posts of yours I get.
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