[Neurons] 2018 Neurons #57 ALFRED KORZYBSKI AND COMMERCIALISM

[Michael Hall]

From: L. Michael Hall

2018 Neurons #57

December 31, 2018

Executive Thinking and Korzybski (#5) 

 

ALFRED KORZYBSKI

AND COMMERCIALISM

 

"It is not fully realized that in a symbolic class of life, symbolism of any
sort plays an environmental role and creates semantic reactions which may be
distinctly morbid." (S&S, p. 296, italics added)

 

In human experience, there is not only internal contexts that influence our
thinking and responding, there are multiple external contexts.  These
contexts influence us inasmuch as they create not only the external and
physical environment, they also create the external semantic environment.
What is that?  It is the result of how mental ideas within the minds of
individuals (you and me) can be, and are, externalized and become a part of
a larger and mostly invisible environment.

 

This means that what you conceptualize in the private reserves of your mind
can be shared with others and when you and they then act on these ideas-you
create an external semantic environment. You do that by cultivating your
mind and emotion (and those of others) so that together we translate them
into a cultivated way of speaking and acting.  This is how we create an
external "culture."  "Culture" here represents an external semantic
environment.

 

Culture, like so many other nominalizations, sounds like a thing.  It
therefore sounds like a real external object.  Yet it is not.  Culture
refers to the externalization of internal understandings and values
regarding "how we do things around here."  That makes it a "logical level"
of the mind.  And that's why you take it everywhere you go- it is how your
mind and internal world of understandings has been cultivated are what it
expects.

 

Because of this, culture is not an absolute thing- it is a relative process.
It is a human process that is a highly fallible process.  That's why no
culture is perfect or beyond criticism.  In fact, all cultures are highly
contaminated by low-level understandings, values, beliefs, precedents, etc.
That's why all cultures need to be challenged and upgraded.  That explains
why I do not limit these posts to only psychology and communication
subjects, but also to politics, values, economics, etc.

 

Now one facet of culture is commercialism, which like any other aspect of
culture can be healthy or unhealthy. Korzybski spoke to this in Science and
Sanity:

"The morbid semantic influence of commercialism has not been investigated,
but it does not take much imagination to see that commercial psycho-logics,
as exemplified by the theories of commercial evaluation, 'wisdom,' appeal to
selfishness, animal cunning, concealing of true facts, appeal to 'sense'
gratification, etc. produce a verbal and semantic environment and slogans
for the children which, if preserved in the grown-ups, must produce some
pathological results." (S&S, p. 295).

What are these morbid semantic influences that would make commercialism
unhealthy?  Korzybski began describing them in his section on infantilism.
What he found was that unhealthy commercialism tends to be infantile in
thinking and valuing.

           Sameness, conformity, dis-valuing being different.  "Originality
and individuality are tabooed among children. Because of semantic
undevelopment, differences become a disturbing factor to them; they want
everything standardized." (p. 517)

           Over-legislation: "not wanting to 'think,' or bother about
differences, they fancy they can regulate life by legislation." 

           Impulsive, given to impulses.  "They cannot differentiate the
essential from the unimportant.  The immediate 'sense' perception or
'emotion' unduly influences their actions.  Impulses to copy others dominate
them.  This results in weak judgment, over-suggestiveness..." They tend to
focus on animal comforts which fail to lead to greater happiness or higher
culture. (271).

           Trickery: putting something over on others via commercial
tactics.  Infantile characteristics of advertisements.

           Lack moderation: extremes things are 'wonderful' or 'terrible.'
Chasing after national crazes.  "The infantile semantic reaction to buy what
they do not need."

           Marked credulity: "They like fairy tales and fantastic stories."

           Acquisitiveness: Need for collecting objects, "owning" conveys a
sense of personal value.

           Gregariousness; "Afraid to be alone."  Appeal to popularity.

           Easily distracted: "Children seldom stick to anything for
longer."  Constantly hunting for new excitements, impatient, restless.

           Power maneuvers: "Children like to domineer over younger
brothers and sisters."  Infantile power is power over others, not power with
others.

           Symbolic evaluations: "An adult evaluates a man by what he has
in his head or character, but the infantile type largely judges hm by the
symbols (money) which he has, or the kind of hat  or clothes he wears."
"Since commercialism cannot sell brains, but can sell trousers or a dress,
it establishes semantic standards by which a man is evaluated by his clothes
and hats." (S&S, p. 519)

           Infantile love: "Such 'love' is often based on purely egoistic
grounds. They 'love' what they represent to themselves, what they once
represented, what they would like to represent."

           Un-responsible: "Infantile adults have little regard for, or
endurance of, life responsibilities.  They tire quickly, are easily
discouraged and frightened. They are irresponsible, unreliable..."

           Exhibitionism: An impulse for showing off.  "Infantile men and
women are primarily in love with themselves and care only how pretty they
are.  They spend large portions of their income on dresses and grooming ...
they live in an infantile world and are socially useless..."

 

That was Korzybski's take on morbid commercialism in his day- back in the
1930s.  I wonder what he would say about commercialism today?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

L. Michael Hall, Ph.D., Executive Director 

Neuro-Semantics 

P.O. Box 8

Clifton, CO. 81520 USA                             

               1 970-523-7877 

                    Dr. Hall's email:
<mailto:meta at acsol.net\hich\af31506\dbch\af31505\loch\f31506> meta at acsol.net


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