This week we continue our coverage of Iwao Takahashi's "Reading 'The Future of Society'." This book is a collection of lectures by Iwao Takahashi, in which he interprets Steiner's 1919 lecture, "The Future of Society."

Part 1 is here

From "social adaptation" to "society within me"

Last time, I touched on the topic of "social impulses." The starting point was that the basic stance in thinking about social theory is not a matter of "social adaptation."

"Social adaptation" is the question of how children and young people adapt to society, given the existing society. Steiner's theory of society is not like that, and this is the starting point of his argument.

Takahashi sums it up with the phrase "me in society." What's important is not a social theory of "me in society," but rather "society within me." In other words, it's about giving shape to the "social impulse" that resides within each individual. This social impulse means that everyone born into this world should have the desire to "live in this kind of society" and "be this kind of person."

We are currently in a state where we have forgotten the social impulse that lies within us. Steiner's basic idea is that if we dig deep within ourselves, we will find that at the root of it all is the "impulse for the society that should be," that is, the social impulse that we each possess.

Of course, each person's social impulses are different. The basic idea is that these different social impulses interact with each other and combine to form a society as a whole. From now on, we will look at how a social theory based on each person's social impulses is developed.

Issues in Modern Society ①: The Harm of Economic Centralism

Before talking about this, Takahashi raises the question of what kind of society modern society has become.

One is that in modern society, economic life takes precedence over spiritual life, and economic life has become the foundation (substructure) of society. In this economy-centered society, money has come to dominate everything. It can be said that the power of currency and capital is becoming stronger than ever before.

In such a situation, the question arises as to whether the spiritual activities of each individual person can become independent from the power of capital and money. In fact, the current situation is that all of human spiritual activities have been absorbed into money and capital. For this reason, spiritual statements that are separate from capital and money tend to be seen as extremely utopian and unrealistic, and as having no footing on earth.

One of the problems facing modern society is that without money you can't do anything, and money has become everything.

Issues of modern society ②: Commodification of labor and denial of humanity

Another issue that Takahashi takes issue with is the commodification of labor. This is nothing new, but the idea that "you offer your labor as a commodity in exchange for money" has become commonplace in modern times.

However, when we consider the original human meaning of "work," it is not necessarily about offering one's time or labor as a commodity and receiving money in return. This book states that "labor is not a commodity" and that "it is impossible to buy and sell labor with money." Labor in its truest form is not linked to rewards or money.

In modern times, "work" and "economic life" have become almost synonymous. The commodification of labor has given rise to various negative effects.

One is that it denies humanity. When I previously discussed Kageyama's book "Slowly, Hurry Up" here, he said that "human life has become a means to an end." If we think of labor as a commodity, for example in capitalism, the pursuit of profit and sales becomes the goal. Individual labor becomes a means to that greater end. Labor as a means can, in a sense, lead to the denial of humanity.

There is also the term "alienation of labor." This refers to a state in which a worker's work becomes detached from their feelings and emotions. Selling one's labor power also means being alienated and separated from one's own time.

Therefore, we must not equate "work" with "reward" or view labor power as a commodity, but rather separate the two. We must reexamine the true meaning of "work."

The ideological experiment of basic income

One idea that has emerged in this current situation is "basic income." Basic income is defined as "a system that guarantees a certain amount of income to everyone, unconditionally." For example, 100,000 yen per month would be paid per person, regardless of whether they work or not. A household of two would receive 200,000 yen per month, and a family of four would receive 400,000 yen per month.

This is also a grand social experiment that asks what we will do when a minimum standard of living is guaranteed. Looking at it negatively, some say that if a certain income is guaranteed, people will stop working and will no longer participate in social activities. On the other hand, looking at it positively, some say that people who are freed from wage labor will be able to engage in the activities they originally wanted to do.

There are many unknowns about what will happen to society when basic income is introduced, but it is good to keep in mind that the concept has ideological roots that seek to free labor from commodification and restore labor to its innate human nature.

Steiner's "Tripartite Social Organism"

In today's society, various problems arise from the current situation where capital and money take precedence over spiritual life. So, I would like to consider what kind of society is possible based on Steiner's argument.

Steiner advocates the idea of "social organismism." Steiner's approach is characterized by his view of society not as a legal system or social system, but as a living organism.

Society as an organism has three spheres (circulatory systems): the first is "spiritual life," the second is "legal life," and the third is "economic life."

His idea was that the healthy development of society as an organism would occur when these three spheres - spiritual life, legal life, and economic life - each play an independent role while functioning in harmony with one another.

Just as the human body has various systems such as the nervous system, digestive system, and circulatory system, Steiner believes that society as a whole is made up of various systems and develops like a single living organism. Steiner calls this idea of the future of society as an organism with three systems the "tripartite social organism." A concrete discussion of this idea is developed in "The Future of Society."

Three principles: liberty, equality, and fraternity

I will briefly summarize the main points.

• Spiritual life : This refers to all human mental and creative activities. Its central principle is " freedom ." Free thought and spiritual life are the most important principles.

• Legal life : This is the area that determines the rights and relationships of people in the state and politics, and the social order. The principle here is " equality ."

• Economic life : Refers to all human economic activities. Its principle is " fraternity ."

In this way, Steiner teaches that the three principles of liberty, equality, and fraternity are the principles of each sphere.

From ancient to modern: Changing worldviews

When considering this idea of the social organism, it is necessary to touch upon how our worldview, which is the background to it, has changed. Steiner describes the differences between the ancient and modern worldviews.

The ancient worldview is said to have been an era in which human spirituality and the spirituality of the universe were connected. Humans were, above all, spiritual beings. Even in Europe, there was a correspondence between the human spiritual world (microcosm) and the great universe (macrocosm), or God was a very familiar presence in people's lives. Ancient people lived in connection with such invisible beings.

These people lived spiritual and religious lives, but around the 15th and 16th centuries, various scientific discoveries led to a phenomenon known as "disenchantment," which led to the rise of a mechanistic worldview.

When various phenomena in the universe began to be understood through natural laws (physical and mathematical laws), the spiritual sense that ancient people had was lost, and the world came to be perceived as a kind of symbol. At the same time, nature and gods, which had been objects of reverence, were pushed aside, and the natural world became subject to human control, which was a problem that arose.

Modernization and changes in labor

From a world filled with spiritual beings to a mechanistic world driven by inorganic mathematical formulas. This change in perception coincided with the rise of the capitalist economic system and modern technological civilization.

In the midst of these major changes, let's take a look at "handwork," something that is familiar to us. Humans have traditionally made many things by hand, but with modernization, handwork has been replaced by machines. As a result, artisans who had previously worked by hand began to operate machines as factory workers. This is when the previously mentioned "wage labor" was born.

Handiwork connects people with nature, with the spiritual presence of nature and with their own inner selves. Furthermore, on a completely different level from the monetary economy, the joy of making things, the joy of creating through nature, was the reward for labor and the joy itself. William Morris and others placed great importance on this point.

Eventually, this will be replaced by wage labor, where you are paid a certain amount for each hour you work, rather than the joy of labor or the inner connection between humans and nature. This is not limited to factory work, but is the same for office work and intellectual labor, in the sense that you sell your time as a commodity and receive money in return.

Steiner's basic understanding of the world is that as our worldview changes, human spiritual life also becomes trapped within mechanical civilization.

Social problems as mental problems: The hollowing out of language

In this context, how should we think about social theory? Steiner does not view social theory as a matter of system design or legal reform. He says that if we want to understand social problems fundamentally, we must view them as "spiritual problems."

What does it mean to say that "social problems are mental problems"? One issue is that in the current situation where human mental activity is being absorbed into mechanical civilization and economic life, "language has become hollow" and ideas have become "mere symbols."

In old Marxist terms, this would be called "ideology," or in modern terms, "position-taking."

Words are inherently connected to the inner world of the person who speaks them, and are inseparable from that person's inner self. However, when words become symbolic, they are only understood in the common dictionary meaning, no matter who speaks them. Therefore, even if there is a deeper intention behind them, they are only understood very superficially.

For example, in her book "Kugai Jodo," Michiko Ishimure expresses her concern that "we live in an age where words cannot be understood." She also argues that even when she directly negotiates with the Ministry of Health and Welfare (at the time), there is a huge gap between them, even though they are supposed to be speaking to each other as human beings.

The problem is that the words of the souls of Minamata disease patients, which are connected to their inner selves, are perceived only as symbols, and the words themselves are circulated without the power to convey the inner selves of their souls. This can be said to be a very fundamental problem: the limitations of words.

Ideology and communication breakdowns

In addition to the issue of words as symbols detached from the inner self of the individual, there is also the issue of ideology, which holds that the thoughts and ideas expressed by a person are in fact merely derivatives of their position and the social situation in which they find themselves.

In Marxist terms, this is the idea of "superstructure and infrastructure." The idea is that economic life, the infrastructure, determines everything, while spiritual life, the superstructure, is merely an existence determined by economic life. Therefore, even if a person appears to be thinking freely, in reality, their economic life determines their spiritual life. In modern terms, this is called position-taking.

When this happens, no matter what the person says, it all boils down to the position or economic situation they stand on, creating a disconnect that makes conversation impossible.

This situation has become increasingly serious in modern times, and it is common for people to judge everything they say based on the position and situation of the person speaking rather than the content of the statement itself. As a result, it becomes extremely difficult for words and ideas to be exchanged.

The pursuit of inner self and the importance of education

However, Steiner argues that the world will not end with a breakdown in communication based on coded words and ideologies. Human beings' true inner selves are not bound by economic life or summarized in coded words, but are much deeper. The human spirit possesses something that transcends coded words and economic life. This is the point Steiner wants to make strongly.

Therefore, Steiner argues that when considering social issues, ultimately we must pursue "the society within me," as mentioned at the beginning. He raises the issue that when we try to look at the social impulse within us, unless we go beyond the mind bound by symbolized language and economic life and encounter the true social impulse, we will not arrive at an original theory of society.

When this happens, what is the most important clue to tackling social problems as spiritual issues? That is "education." How can we be liberated from minds that are bound by symbolized words and economic life? This can only be achieved through education. This is where the theme of Waldorf education emerges.

The most fundamental starting point of Steiner education is to "positively recognize that each individual is absolutely different." This may seem obvious, but each of our souls is absolutely different. And it is a philosophy that accepts that "difference" is a good thing.

First of all, we must accept that each and every one of our souls is absolutely different. This is actually an extremely difficult thing to do, even when we think about our own daily lives. We tend to seek homogeneity. Japan in particular is said to be a highly homogeneous society, but perhaps it is only through education that we can recognize that each individual is absolutely different, and that this is the starting point for structuring society. It was from this idea that Steiner developed his theory of education.

This is a reading guide by Shoji Shimura (CEO of Atelier Shimura).
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