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22 | Tue Puitosopuy or Eco-Pouitics
beginning and end of the linear time of Christian salvation history, i.e.,
creation and the Day of Judgment (after which, as is well-known, there
will be no time), the straight and irreversible chronological perspective
of endless progress stretches before us. Only the initial, providential
meaning is missing. This is what the this-worldly salvation history of
historical progress was designed to replace. The faith in progress has
spread like a new religion throughout the civilised world. The role of
redeemer is played here by scientific knowledge, which serves the rise
of man through the defeat of nature.
In the Early Modern period, the mysterious creative power attributed
to knowledge, namely that it will create something hitherto non-existent
in the world, was linked to the very much tangible concept of power. The
ambition of the experimenting alchemist or natural scientist was to rule
over the elements, much as a ruler and his wise advisors rule over the
people. This is a knowledge that grants its possessor the power necessary
to carry something out. The natural sciences ultimately serve the
exploitation of the natural resources, i.e., production, while the social
sciences serve the direction of social processes, i.e., the reproduction of
social conditions. The two are clearly connected, since the application of
scientific technology leads to the plenty of produced goods and plenty is
needed for people to be able to freely follow their goals independently
from each other. The established anthropological understanding
identified these with the satisfaction of various needs and chose as its
concept of freedom the undisturbed satisfaction of needs, for everyone
and ad infinitum. ‘This is ensured by the scientific organisation of society.
All this takes place in front of the (rather depressing) horizon of an
infinite future. Therefore, the increase of knowledge, the power attained
by knowledge and the good deeds of this power must likewise be infinite.
Among these dogmas of belief in progress there is not one which
has not been shown to be untenable, yet these stale tenets are being
taught in schools even today, they are appealed to during political
decisions and they are the consolation of the media consumer (who is
not even aware that knowledge is not something that can even be
“consumed” and that therefore what they is really consuming is by
definition Ignorance itself). Briefly put, this is why we are rushing
unstoppably into destruction. Never has the prevarication,
irresponsibility and cowardice of the learned had such fatal consequences
as in our times.
So, let us see what is really happening.