Beyond “generous” fraternity
29
Oct
Edgar Morin’s book, in chapter 3, explores the
“biological sources of fraternity: mutual aid”, addresses the misinterpretation of social Darwinism, “The Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection” (1859-1860), as well as other authors in his book Method 2 “The Life of Life”, where he points out that there is a solution to the problem between cooperation and conflict, in order to understand societies as well.
Thus, he responds to this “complex relationship”, present in all societies, there is a “complementary and antagonistic (dialogical) relationship between solidarity and conflict.
The fourth chapter opens with the philosophy of Heraclius (540-470 B.C.) “Concord and discord: father and mother and all things”. The author uses the idea of the universe itself: its formation, development, dispersion and death, further supported by the discoveries of the James Webb mega telescope (the book is older) and today with the expansion of the worldview it is confirmed.
The fifth chapter finally arrives at a more complex conception of fraternity, for Morin the three notions: paternity, maternity and fraternity, argues that, unlike what patriarchal society has shown, the concept of father is late in the history of humanity.
He recalls that the idea of male (father) and female (mother) is not a universal concept for all of nature, and with this the relationship of brotherhood (a more horizontal concept of fraternity) is what should prevail, but he recalls that the concepts of birth and dependence are very important for mutualism and cooperation, which are present in all forms of life.
To develop the sixth chapter, he draws on personal experiences, and recalls that the spheres of fraternity within a family are the origin of the external fraternities that we find in social relationships throughout life.
The author’s experiences will become more explicit in Chapter 7 “My Fraternities”, which are the author’s experiences and a short, inspiring chapter that clarifies the author’s position on such an important topic in the dramatic context of civilization in which we live.
The author thus presents what he calls, in chapter 10, an “Oasis of Fraternity”, where modern society, of globalization, opposes the reduction of human life to only a “techno-economic” dimension that reduces the human to a particular, more material dimension of life.
Long before the current crisis, which Morin seemed to anticipate, he will write in the final chapters “Changing paths?” where our social environmental problems are a response to Sapiens demens (linked only to technology, transhumanism and now artificial intelligence), only a radical change of path can we recover serenity, peace and a return to the civilizing process.
Morin, E. (2019) Fraternidade: para resistir à crueldade do mundo, trad. Edgar de Assis Carvalho, Brazil, SP: São Paulo, Ed. Palas Athena.
