Excalibur
11-30-05, - 10:46 PM
In The Metamorphosis a short story by Franz Kafka, the author writes of a man who is transformed, due to his complete integration into and identification with his work in a modern capitalist society, a giant bug. The story is a metaphor, then, of individual alienation, and the impact of mass society on the individual. Ronald Wright’s terrifying vision outlines the failures of past civilizations and the accelerated fashion through which we are approaching a final planetary, or global cultural, economic and technological self-destruction, in his book A Short History of Progress, examines the macro level. He maintains homo-sapiens are Ice Age hunters “only half-evolved towards intelligence; clever but seldom wise” (Wright: 132). Alienation from the consequences of our actions and our attitudes underlie both perspectives. This article presents a synthesis of the two viewpoints and raises the question; if both authors are right about the destructive path we are on, an increasing destructive path, shall there be any future?
Wright’s view is that the world is spiraling out of control, and we have blinders on. While there may be short term gains for the wealthy in the Western societies, there is long term peril, for both the rich and poor, as all are sucked into the vortex of a likely apocalyptic future. We have no vision; no overriding philosophy, no methodology to get us out of the mess we have placed ourselves in. We could, but we are preoccupied with short-term thinking and need to evolve towards “long-term thinking. From recklessness and excess to moderation and the precautionary principle” (Wright: 131). He argues, “If civilization is to survive, it must live on the interest, not the capital, of nature” (Wright: 130). This is a concept from business; that the best investment is one where the principal is not touched and the interest is what we use, thus never depleting the resource, but living in a fashion where we sustain our assets.
The problem stems from “hostility to change from vested interests, and inertia at all social levels” (Wright: 129). This is a behavior which he argues brought down earlier civilizations, such as the Romans, or the small, isolated Eastern Islanders. Many leaders never realize this or discover it, but try to bury the facts. This inertia is what he calls the “dinosaur factor” (Wright: 130). Philosophically, it is an alienation from taking responsibility at the personal or the collective level. In existential philosophy it is being dazzled by the concrete and technological and forgetting the importance of spirit and mystery (Barrett: 275).
Existentialism, Barrett maintains points out to us “the abstractness of life in this technological and bureaucratic age” (Barrett: 269). He writes mass society creates mass art and mass media communications. Barrett states that existentialists believe that what is transmitted mainly through mass culture and systems of distribution which are part of this mass are “stereotypes….the most virulent form of abstractness…their capacity for any kind of human reality is fast disappearing (Barrett: 269). The concept of the lonely crowd, or the crowd made up of lonely individuals is another way of writing of the inertia that Wright warns against and the individual nightmare that Kafka’s story presents to us.
In The Metamorphosis, Gregor Samsa, a product of mass society, a salesman in an urban European city, is a faceless man. He is one of the lonely crowd (a paradox). He has sacrificed any potential for spiritual understanding or political awareness, and identifies, as if out of fear, with his role and duties to a nameless company. He is not living, according to what an existential philosopher would maintain, “an authentic life” (Barrett: 252). Discussing Sartre, a 20th century French existential philosopher, Barrett writes that for Sartre living authentically is being aware of the fact that each of our decisions on the most personal level affect or impact the whole world. Each person has to take responsibility for what they do or not do. A person who is conscious today feels nausea, being sick to one’s stomach. In order to overcome this, the person must choose to not identify with the role assigned; to stand apart and be conscious even if it is very painful (Barrett: 252-254).
Gregor is not conscious. He is, in reality, a big bug. This is a metaphor of the alienation of the modern worker described also by Karl Marx. Marx writes, “What constitutes the alienation of labor? First, that the work is external to the worker, that it is not part of is nature; and that, consequently, he does not fulfill himself in his work but denies himself, has a feeling of misery rather than well being” (Marx in Himelfarb and Richardson; 299). Marx goes on to suggest that we are alienated both socially and economically from the profit and use of our labor. The lonely individual in the lonely crowd that is created by mass society is alienated, and reaches apathy.
Even when he recognizes he is a bug he does not know why this has happened to him. “he wanted to get up quietly, without any excitement; get dressed; and the main thing, have breakfast…He remembered how even in the past he had often felt some kind of slight pain” (Kafka: 135) This transformation perhaps has been going on for a while, and when he recognizes it, it is already too late. Is he approaching that stage of disgust that Sartre and Wright believe must be faced? But is he turning into a dinosaur because he does nothing about it but try to adapt to his new shape and form and continue his preoccupations with necessity of getting to work (which he can no longer do, or feeding himself). If society is made up of such individuals, then how can we tackle the larger problems? We are contributing to the oncoming destruction because we have as Kafka believes even more than Wright, no other options available to us.
How do we care about the things that go so wrong in our world? What if someone or all of us are turning into Gregor’s? Kafka writes, “Who in this overworked and exhausted family had time to worry about Gregor any more than was absolutely necessary? (Kafka: 142)” Kafka’s vision is bleaker than Wright’s because there is no escape from turning into a bug in the world he creates. No one else is going to do anything either, just some short term solution. “When early in the morning the cleaning woman came in….When she quickly became aware of the true state of things, she…did not dawdle, …she tore open the door …and shouted at the top of her voice into the darkness” (Kafka: 157). She is shouting because Gregor is dead. Sartre would likely tell Gregor to quit his job and move out from his family to start. But, necessity and inevitability are built into our culture, and as Wright suggests no-one or no place in the world is self-sufficient anymore. Everything is integrated into this “gyre of destruction” (Wright: 131).
In conclusion the problem, in a synthesis of these views is that alienation is so huge and engulfing. It creates leaders who do not care, individuals and societies which are without direction, and anger and despair that may ensure inevitable destruction. However voices of dissent and outrage still appear, making it clear that this process is not complete. It is the problem of transforming dissent into concrete change that maintains alienation.
Bibliography
Barrett, William, 1962. Irrational Man. A Study in Existential Philosophy, New York:
Doubleday
Himelfarb, Alexander and Richardson, James, 1991, Sociology for Canadians. Images of
Society. Toronto, McGraw Hill Press.
Kafka, Franz, 1986 ed. The Metamorphosis, New York: Bantam Books.
Wright, Ronald, 2004. A Short History of Progress. Toronto: Anansi Press
Wright’s view is that the world is spiraling out of control, and we have blinders on. While there may be short term gains for the wealthy in the Western societies, there is long term peril, for both the rich and poor, as all are sucked into the vortex of a likely apocalyptic future. We have no vision; no overriding philosophy, no methodology to get us out of the mess we have placed ourselves in. We could, but we are preoccupied with short-term thinking and need to evolve towards “long-term thinking. From recklessness and excess to moderation and the precautionary principle” (Wright: 131). He argues, “If civilization is to survive, it must live on the interest, not the capital, of nature” (Wright: 130). This is a concept from business; that the best investment is one where the principal is not touched and the interest is what we use, thus never depleting the resource, but living in a fashion where we sustain our assets.
The problem stems from “hostility to change from vested interests, and inertia at all social levels” (Wright: 129). This is a behavior which he argues brought down earlier civilizations, such as the Romans, or the small, isolated Eastern Islanders. Many leaders never realize this or discover it, but try to bury the facts. This inertia is what he calls the “dinosaur factor” (Wright: 130). Philosophically, it is an alienation from taking responsibility at the personal or the collective level. In existential philosophy it is being dazzled by the concrete and technological and forgetting the importance of spirit and mystery (Barrett: 275).
Existentialism, Barrett maintains points out to us “the abstractness of life in this technological and bureaucratic age” (Barrett: 269). He writes mass society creates mass art and mass media communications. Barrett states that existentialists believe that what is transmitted mainly through mass culture and systems of distribution which are part of this mass are “stereotypes….the most virulent form of abstractness…their capacity for any kind of human reality is fast disappearing (Barrett: 269). The concept of the lonely crowd, or the crowd made up of lonely individuals is another way of writing of the inertia that Wright warns against and the individual nightmare that Kafka’s story presents to us.
In The Metamorphosis, Gregor Samsa, a product of mass society, a salesman in an urban European city, is a faceless man. He is one of the lonely crowd (a paradox). He has sacrificed any potential for spiritual understanding or political awareness, and identifies, as if out of fear, with his role and duties to a nameless company. He is not living, according to what an existential philosopher would maintain, “an authentic life” (Barrett: 252). Discussing Sartre, a 20th century French existential philosopher, Barrett writes that for Sartre living authentically is being aware of the fact that each of our decisions on the most personal level affect or impact the whole world. Each person has to take responsibility for what they do or not do. A person who is conscious today feels nausea, being sick to one’s stomach. In order to overcome this, the person must choose to not identify with the role assigned; to stand apart and be conscious even if it is very painful (Barrett: 252-254).
Gregor is not conscious. He is, in reality, a big bug. This is a metaphor of the alienation of the modern worker described also by Karl Marx. Marx writes, “What constitutes the alienation of labor? First, that the work is external to the worker, that it is not part of is nature; and that, consequently, he does not fulfill himself in his work but denies himself, has a feeling of misery rather than well being” (Marx in Himelfarb and Richardson; 299). Marx goes on to suggest that we are alienated both socially and economically from the profit and use of our labor. The lonely individual in the lonely crowd that is created by mass society is alienated, and reaches apathy.
Even when he recognizes he is a bug he does not know why this has happened to him. “he wanted to get up quietly, without any excitement; get dressed; and the main thing, have breakfast…He remembered how even in the past he had often felt some kind of slight pain” (Kafka: 135) This transformation perhaps has been going on for a while, and when he recognizes it, it is already too late. Is he approaching that stage of disgust that Sartre and Wright believe must be faced? But is he turning into a dinosaur because he does nothing about it but try to adapt to his new shape and form and continue his preoccupations with necessity of getting to work (which he can no longer do, or feeding himself). If society is made up of such individuals, then how can we tackle the larger problems? We are contributing to the oncoming destruction because we have as Kafka believes even more than Wright, no other options available to us.
How do we care about the things that go so wrong in our world? What if someone or all of us are turning into Gregor’s? Kafka writes, “Who in this overworked and exhausted family had time to worry about Gregor any more than was absolutely necessary? (Kafka: 142)” Kafka’s vision is bleaker than Wright’s because there is no escape from turning into a bug in the world he creates. No one else is going to do anything either, just some short term solution. “When early in the morning the cleaning woman came in….When she quickly became aware of the true state of things, she…did not dawdle, …she tore open the door …and shouted at the top of her voice into the darkness” (Kafka: 157). She is shouting because Gregor is dead. Sartre would likely tell Gregor to quit his job and move out from his family to start. But, necessity and inevitability are built into our culture, and as Wright suggests no-one or no place in the world is self-sufficient anymore. Everything is integrated into this “gyre of destruction” (Wright: 131).
In conclusion the problem, in a synthesis of these views is that alienation is so huge and engulfing. It creates leaders who do not care, individuals and societies which are without direction, and anger and despair that may ensure inevitable destruction. However voices of dissent and outrage still appear, making it clear that this process is not complete. It is the problem of transforming dissent into concrete change that maintains alienation.
Bibliography
Barrett, William, 1962. Irrational Man. A Study in Existential Philosophy, New York:
Doubleday
Himelfarb, Alexander and Richardson, James, 1991, Sociology for Canadians. Images of
Society. Toronto, McGraw Hill Press.
Kafka, Franz, 1986 ed. The Metamorphosis, New York: Bantam Books.
Wright, Ronald, 2004. A Short History of Progress. Toronto: Anansi Press