Sunday, July 12, 2020

Psycho-Speciation and Red Pilling

There apparently exists something in history we might call "psycho-speciation." I can't have been the first to suggest the term.

I just googled it, and I see it is discussed by an old pal of mine, the psychohistorian Lloyd Demause. Before I redpilled a couple of decades ago, I was a true believer in his ideas, not all of which are wrong, just too reductionistic, polemical, and deterministic (among other fatal defects).

For example, he asks "What caused America?," which would be a fine question if he stopped there. But before pondering the question, he asks some additional questions that are just thinly veiled polemics in disguise:

What was it that changed a group of totalitarian, bigoted, head-hunting and witch-hunting Englishmen into a nation of fiercely independent Yankees in but one century?

Is that an accurate description of our ancestors: totalitarian, bigoted, head-hunting, and witch-hunting Englishmen? Or their descendants, for that matter? No, it is the simplistic view of a 20th century ideologue, similar in form to our contemporary progressive anachronistic anarchists who think they are morally superior to the wise and courageous men who made their privileged lives of permanent adolescent rebellion possible.

These latter folks bring to mind this tweet: "Their whole lives spent chasing status & privilege, and now denouncing 'privilege' to gain yet more privilege. If you give these people a moment's credibility, you're a fool."

In other words, there is no White Privilege like the privilege of pretending it exists in order to gain more of it.

Anyway, I don't want to get bogged down in Demause's theory of psycho-speciation. But just because he's wrong about the cause, it doesn't mean the phenomenon isn't real. His fundamental error is in positing a vertical hierarchy while denying the source and ground of verticality, which is to say, God.

In short, Demause was a secular atheist, which undercuts his whole approach. He was completely sealed in ideology but couldn't see the bugs for the feature. Which is true of any psychological theory that pretends to contain the uncontainable, AKA man.

Let's be perfectly accurate here: main is containable, but only by God. To the extent that a man pretends to contain mankind in a theory about man, he has descended into ideology. Which is intrinsically pathological. One can of course do it, but it is always an error.

Imagine being, say, a 15th century explorer. There existed any number of maps of the Atlantic Ocean, but they were all obviously wrong, since no one had actually explored the area in such a way that an accurate map could be rendered.

Now, what if emotional security is more important to you than cartographical truth? Then you'll be motivated to cling to one of the erroneous maps, which represent a kind of pseudo-knowledge about the world. The map isn't real, but the rocks you ram into will be.

Back when I was in grad school -- we've been through this before, so I'll be brief -- one of the first classes was a historical survey of all the various theories of mind ranging from behaviorism at one end to existentialism at the other. In between there is psychoanalysis (with dozens of sometimes antithetical schools), Gestalt, humanistic, transpersonal, etc. Here's a list of just the Top 45. Pick one!

On what basis?

Oh, here's a fruity one: liberation psychology. It is

an approach that aims to actively understand the psychology of oppressed and impoverished communities by conceptually and practically addressing the oppressive sociopolitical structure in which they exist. The central concepts of liberation psychology include: conscientization; realismo-crítico; de-ideologized reality; a coherently social orientation; the preferential option for the oppressed majorities, and methodological eclecticism.

Or in other words, reams of pseudo-intellectual politicized bullshit that has nothing to do with human nature and its objective pathologies. Conveniently, the theory pretends to deny the existence of universals while privileging its own.

My guess is that this is the dominant paradigm if you are unlucky enough to attend graduate school these days. I got in just under the wire, and it is still a mystery to me how I passed the oral licensing exam in 1991, which included some achingly stupid politically correct questions which I abruptly dismissed as irrelevant to my totally unwoke metapsychology.

By the way, you may wonder how it was that I was still very much a Democrat at that time, and didn't redpill until 2000. How was I unaware of the cognitive dissonance? Just 30 years ahead of the curve, I guess. Today there are obviously millions of Democrats who don't yet understand that they are supporting a totalitarian, bigoted, head-hunting, and witch-hunting political religion known as Cancel Culture.

Speaking of psycho-speciation, is red pilling itself a form it it? It could be. But there are plenty of crazy and unhinged conservatives. Unfortunately, just not enough of them.

Now, from a strictly infranatural, Darwinistic standpoint, speciation itself is quite problematic, not just horizontally but vertically, since nothing in the natural world is intrinsically any better or higher or more valuable than anything else. Which reminds me of a comment Voegelin makes in another book, which I will recast in terms of biology:

If a man says "a human being is just a contingent ensemble of selfish genes," he is a respected biologist; if a man says "I am just a contingent ensemble of selfish genes" and thereby consistently refuses to take responsibility for his actions, he is a psychiatric case.

Well, we didn't get far, and now I'm nearly out of time. We'll end with Voegelin's take on psycho-speciation, even though he doesn't call it that:

When a society gains a new insight into the true order of personal and social existence, and when it will abandon the larger society of which it is a part when it gains this insight, this constitutes an exodus. When such a higher insight is gained, the group that gains it will establish itself as a separate entity....

Whenever a new insight into order is gained, there is always the question whether to immigrate from the present order into a situation in which the new order can become socially dominant and relevant for the society that has gained the insight.

Which explains why the Dems are so frantic to import blue-pilled immigrants, and to force feed their existing plantation dwellers a daily diet of the blues.

24 comments:

Gagdad Bob said...

Nousflash: Thomas Sowell interview on TV tonight:

You hear this phrase, ‘systemic racism’ [or] ‘systemic oppression’... You hear it on our college campuses. You hear it from very wealthy and fabulously famous sports stars. What does that mean? And whatever it means, is it true?”

“It really has no meaning that can be specified and tested in the way that one tests hypotheses,” answered Sowell, who added that the currency of the phrase reminds him of the “propaganda tactics” of Nazi Germany, where Sowell claimed that if a lie was “repeated long enough and loud enough” it would be widely believed.

Petey said...

The Serpent was the first practitioner of Critical Theory.

Anonymous said...

My hobby is collecting variants of Critical Theory. As you note there are many. One will never be without outrageous reading with this hobby. I like to be outraged. It is a soothing emotion for some reason. Many Critical theories will incite the response "What the h*ll! How could anyone think that?" You'd be amazed.

I also study paleontology and archaeology. The fossil record shows only a few clear cut instances of Psycho-Speciation. The most celebrated of these were the Denisovans.

Now, Denisovans were not like Homo Sapiens in the head. Denisovan brains were shaped differently. Examination of their middens and tools revealed they were Socialists in their political organization. Denisovans were concerned, obsessed really, with "systemic racism" and felt oppressed by other hominems. There were bitter allegations of sexual exploitation. Indeed it is thought Denisovans were used for gratification by more warlike groups.

Today's Democrats, bluepill families, and Communist Party members are shown to have a percentage of Denisovan DNA, whereas the redpill variants are more likely to have Neanderthal.

So we can see how psycho-speciation goes far back in time and informs Critical Theory today. It is perhaps the most prominent factor in our cultural divide.

You out there will know your Denisovan status immediately. Just check your voter registration card.

Anonymous said...

The Serpent was the first practitioner of Critical Theory.

Amen brother.

And you know something? The apple has been bit, and humanity isn't in Eden any more, and it isn't going back. Remember what the serpent was offering: knowledge. Innocence is no longer an option.

Anybody who can read that section of Genesis and want to take God's side against the serpent and humanity is probably a fascist. As you may remember, God creates Adam and Eve without access to a sense of good and evil, then punishes them despite their explicit and literal innocence. What an asshole.

But it helps explain why so-called Christians love Trump and share his delight in brutalizing the weak.

julie said...

What was it that changed a group of totalitarian, bigoted, head-hunting and witch-hunting Englishmen into a nation of fiercely independent Yankees in but one century?

Heh. Thinking of the Salem witch trials, the real question is how did the people of those days manage to purge the SJWs from their midst long enough to to become that nation of fiercely independent Yankees? Of course, back then being a rabid leftist usually resulted in an early demise on the wild frontier. These days, they are encouraged because stupidity no longer has the same penalties. Yet.

Nicolás said...

Nothing is more dangerous for faith than to frequent the company of believers. The unbeliever restores our faith.

Nicolás said...

Whoever wants to know what the serious objections to Christianity are should ask us. The unbeliever has only silly objections.

Anonymous said...


Well then, Nicolas, what are the serious objections to Christianity?

The Salem Witch Trials. How we today sneer at the "ignorance" of the Puritans. But, mind you, these trials were in full conformity with the standards of jurisprudence at that time.

Spectral evidence was fully admissible in court. If Betsy Simpson said Goody Thompson came to her bed chambers spectrally last Thursday night at half past two and tortured her nipples with hot nails, well then...that was evidence to be weighed at trial.

Now we today do not admit spectral evidence because it can be easily fabricated; there is no way to check the veracity.

BUT MIND YOU, that does NOT mean ALL spectral evidence is spurious. Reflect on that long and carefully. What does that mean in the context of psycho-speciation? What are the ramifications?

That's right. The Puritans were correct; it is us who are misled. And for all of the right reasons.

As a result witches have proliferated to the point where there is literally one on every street corner. Witches, warlocks, trolls, gremlins, and their ilk are not members our species. They look human, but they are not human. And we suffer them to have the same rights as people.

So much for "progress."

Cousin Dupree said...

I don't like feminists either, but they're people too.

Anonymous said...

When I took the red pill, I could suddenly see greedy power grubbers whose only ideology was greedy power grubbing.

Then I could see the good people, who did seem to vastly outnumber the greedy power grubbers.
But then I noticed that most of the good people are suckers born every day.

Then I took another red pill, and another. Before long it all became as clear as a Picasso painting. The bad people, the witches, warlocks, trolls, gremlins, and their ilk, are all Democrats. They do indeed look different. More darker, feminish, foreign, younger, and scientismy, with their tattoos and glasses. Much uglier than red pillers.

We need witch trials again.

Cousin Dupree said...

Check the expiration date on those pills. For most people, the only barriers to being a greedy power grubber are ability and means. Give a victim power, and he'll be the new oppressor.

Anonymous said...

Indeed. I'd rather give power to an oppressor instead of a victim any day. Keeps things simpler.

So I wound up determining that we needed to get intelligent wisdom back together with Christianity. Family values, integrity, spirituality... with a bit less of that “the devil made me do it” mentality.

When I suggested such things to the bible study crowd, they bellowed. I was just another anti-gun anti-war pro-gay anti-life anti-corporate anti-prosperity climate-alarmist affirmative-action witchcraft-dabbling democrat, they said.

They said that while Jesus may have glad-handed and baby-kissed the poor rabble for votes, he actually hobnobbed with the Jewish and Roman elites because that’s was where the power was. It’s always the smarter play.

There may be something to this worldly wisdom.

Nicolás said...

The Christ of the Gospels is not concerned with the economic situation of the poor, but with the moral condition of the rich.

Anonymous said...

Sorry, but I think Solomon and Jesus might beg to differ.

I don't think anybody minds the rich, at least not the honest rich. They mind the moral degradation which richness tends to encourage. They especially mind when the powerful rich aren't happy with their patch of fertile ground, but want theirs as well.

The poor tend to revolt when things get too far. Telling them to remain calm will only last for so long.

If the rich powerful are incorrigible, maybe somewhere between bread and circuses, and serfdom and cathedrals, is an answer. I'd recommend a caste system but that might be a bit too Hindu.

Joe said...

I know how you feel. I don't know anything about economics either.

Alexandria said...

No worries, Joe. I'll explain it to you.

Alexandria said...

For example, you get better tips if you show a little cleavage.

neal said...

New castes being formed look like another stanza.
I expect the tension of need to fission and migrate for the herded and curated runs free on land and water. When it takes a long time to get anywhere then nobody is quite what they were.
Otherwise that is being tagged and waking up far from home.

Anonymous said...

Neal described "a...need to fission and migrate" and "being tagged and waking up far from home."

This happened to me. I left the city and migrated west with no particular destination in mind and woke up tagged.

My tag looks like an ankle band. I can't read what the band says because I can't bend over that far. I can't remove it; I can tell it won't come off. I'm not sure who are what is tracking me.

I don't feel that frightened about it. This is beyond my control, all I can do is endure what comes.

Now I've got to figure out where I am. That looks like an Exxon Station with a convenience store about 300 yards away. I best go over there and ask, in a non-suspicious way, where the heck this place is.

Anonymous said...

Now this post is not about economics or greed or religion. It is about a medication, the "red pill." Now is that a generic name, or does the manufacturer call it that?

I've never taken the red pill, or seen one. What exactly does it do? Is it psycho-active? What are the side effects? Can it be mixed with other medications? What is the pill for and what does it cure?

There's a lot to discover about the red pill.

Now I have had some experience with pills, but nothing fancy. My pills sound like straight up medication.

Now I have taken a blue pill. It was just one time. It was an oval pill, medium size. It had a bitter taste. They said it would help me get along with others. I think it worked; I was such an a**hole before I took the blue pill. Now I'm pretty easy to get along with.

Cousin Dupree said...

The blue pill eliminates testosterone and causes estrogen levels to spike, leading to aggravated Julia Syndrome in females and terminal Pajama Boyhood in males.

Anonymous said...

Hey, you're a psychologist, what does it mean when someone is obsessed with other men's testosterone levels?

Anonymous said...

And it must mean something that this "red pill / blue pill" nonsense is ripped off from a movie made by two transsexual brothers working out their issues. But what?

Jules said...

True... i sometimes find myself wishing these spoilt dumb brats from antifa etc to find themselves on an island and have to survive...lol

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