Empathic Machine of Society
Alexander Liss
Human society operates as a system. This
system reflects specificities of individuals and individuals reflect the system
as a whole.
Being
social creatures, humans perpetually communicate. Large part of this
communication is not detected by Conscious. It goes via smells, body language,
facial expressions, minute speech variations, etc.
A
specific for social creatures part of this communication is defined by
automatic minute mimicking of others' behavior. This mimicking allows a person
to get a hint of others' state: what they think, feel, etc.
It
is called here empathic behavior or empathic reactions.
While
words "empathy" and "empathic" are applied to behavior
detectable by Conscious, it makes sense to extend their meaning to include
described above automatic not conscious behavior.
Simultaneous
empathic reactions of a group of people lead to synchronized empathic behavior
of the group, be that a large group or only a group of two.
On the detailed level, an individual could
be viewed as an Electric Machine, where neurons are its wires. The perpetual
stream of sensory information causes perpetual electric flow in this machine.
Patterns of this flow define an individual.
Simultaneous empathic reactions of a group
lead to non-electric synchronization of electric flow in individual Electric
Machines of the group.
The
group should be viewed as a system and the synchronized electric flow in
individuals of the group should be viewed as the electric flow in this system.
Consequently,
stable patterns in electric flow of this system cause impressions (memory) in
individuals and this flow is more likely to emerge again, when these people
congregate in the group or another similar group again. Some of these patterns
can't be seen in an individual in isolation. They are important patterns; they
define a group and define social aspects of an individual.
This
system is called here the Empathic Machine of Society. Efficient functioning of
this machine is essential for normal functioning of a society and each its
member.
Stable
patterns of electric flow in an individual are manifested in mind's Images.
Stable patterns of electric flow in various groups in a society are manifested
as a Culture of the society.
Hence,
the Empathic Machine is a basic infrastructure of the society. Social sides of
individuals are synchronized via this infrastructure. Images produced by the
Empathic Machine in an individual, which cannot be attributed to a stand-alone
Electric Machine, correspond to a social side of an individual. These Images
are synchronized in a society and they affect individual thinking and behavior.
These
synchronized Images are the Culture of the society.
Synchronization
of Images leads to similarity of Images impressed into (memorized by)
individuals or to a set of different Images carried by different individuals,
which neatly fit into a coherent system of Images.
This
balance of Images surfaces when individuals congregate into a group (actual or
virtual).
Emergence
of new Images (emergence of new stable patterns in the electric flow), which
contradict existing patterns, launches activity of Conscious. On an individual
level, it leads to individual conscious analysis and in a group it leads to
Conscious Communication between members of the group.
This
Communication ranges from small talk to discussion of abstract ideas.
Conscious
Communication makes the Empathic Machine more efficient. This allows members of
the society to spend more time acquiring individual experiences.
Basic
Images of a society (patterns of electric flow in the Empathic Machine)
manifest themselves in Stories.
Stories
(legends, myths, fairy-tales, etc.) play an important role in any society.
However, stories of one society often are incomprehensible for another society
and some of them are even repulsive. This is only a sign of differences in
societies, different ways of thinking.
Passing
of many of these Stories from generation to generation is often protected
through tradition or even religion.
Many
of religious writings and variants of their interpretation passed through
generations represent just that - Stories reflecting basic Images, which shape
thinking and behavior of the society.
Historic
accuracy of Stories is irrelevant. They do not represent an interpretation of a
chain of events. They represent something affecting everyday activity of
members of the society - patterns of thinking. This is why there is no moral
lesson in them.
Histories
(there are as many histories as there are historians) could be viewed as a
layer on top of these Stories. They present events of the past from the point
of view of current problems of the society.
Some
historians detect deep problems of the society and their writings are read many
years. Others detect problems, quickly solved by the society or becoming
irrelevant for other reasons, and their writings are forgotten.
Various
Barriers between individuals of a society, which impede their empathic
synchronization, manifest themselves in a structure of the Culture of the
society and define how particular individuals feel in the society.
Some
of such Barriers are learnt from childhood and accepted as something natural.
Other Barriers are artificially introduced by some groups and individuals. They
are brought either to establish control over other groups or individuals or to
protect themselves from perceived danger.
Each
such Barrier diminishes efficiency of the Empathic Machine and diminishes
ability of the society to adjust to new circumstances.
From
the other hand, they prevent emergence of strong detached from reality patterns
of behavior in the society, which could be dangerous for the society.
Strong
rigid Barriers in the society, especially Barriers enforced by external
circumstances, as geographic separation, could easily lead to a break-up of the
society.
Introduction
of new tools of communication and ability to meet each other more often leads
to reduction of the strength of these Barriers.
The electric flow in an individual Electric
Machine flips randomly from one pattern in another. The Empathic Machine makes
these flipping synchronized across individual Electric Machines.
One could observe peculiar behavior of
individuals in a group, which is not characteristic to individual's behavior in
one-to-one setting..
Introduction of various Barriers between
individuals, which impede their empathic synchronization, could lead to
pathological development of a society and perversion of human nature of its
members.
Groups of a society living a long time in
isolation from each other, often develop substantial inability to participate
jointly in functioning of the Empathic Machine of Society. This leads to
alienation, misunderstanding and consequent hostility toward each other.
The
system of Images in these groups eventually diverge to a degree that their
languages diverge and the society as a whole accepts the boundary between these
groups as a stable boundary in the society.
This is a well-understood problem. In many
cultures, there are rituals of regular gathering of members of a society, which
improves efficiency of the Empathic Machine of the society.
When an individual raises Barriers between
oneself and own society, this individual limits own ability to participate in
the Empathic Machine of Society and thus limits own social side. In extreme
cases, the individual is diagnosed as a sociopath, however even mild cases
could cause an extreme discomfort to the individual and the society.
In some cases, raising Barriers between
oneself and an insane society is a needed measure to protect one's sanity.
Still, this act leads to diminishing of the social side of individual and the
individual has to compensate.
In an ideal society, there are no Barriers
in the Empathic Machine. However in a real society, there are always Barriers
and one has to be able to work with them.
Rigid Barriers perpetually affect electric
flow in the Empathic Machine and they define specific patterns of this flow.
These patterns make an impression (memorized) and they persist even when
Barriers are removed. Their persistence prevents emergence of new patterns,
which should naturally emerge in the Empathic Machine without such Barriers.
Hence, Rigid Barriers are reinforced by the
nature of the Empathic Machine.
A society, which wants to keep options open
to be able to adjust quickly to new situations, perpetually reshuffles Barriers
- changes their strength, removes some and adds some.
Basic Images shared by members of a society
(mostly not consciously) define the Culture of this society and behavior of its
members.
A newly forming society or a society under
attack actually needs a Rigid System of Images to define and protect itself.
However, in a normal situation, low
flexibility of the System of Images (stable patterns of electric flow) in the
Empathic Machine of a society is a sign of pathological development in the
society.
Rigid Images are a manifestation of stable
patterns of electric flow in the Empathic Machine. These patterns have areas,
where one type of a flow touches another type of a flow - virtual boundaries.
In a flexible System of Images, an area,
which happens to be an area of a virtual boundary in one Image, is not a
virtual boundary in another Image. However, in a Rigid System of Images, there
are areas, which are virtual boundaries an about all Images.
This is predisposition to creation of
actual boundaries, which make the System of Images even more rigid.
The result of such development is
inflexible thinking and behavior in the society.
Confidence artists (Con Artists) and
Demagogues impose a set of Images on an individual or groups, which cause these
individuals or groups to act for benefit of imposer and against own interests
and against interests of the society as a whole. Usually, Con Artists are after
someone's money and they need to impose their Images only for a short time,
until they get money and disappear. Demagogues are after power, and they have
to impose their Images on a group periodically, to maintain their power.
They discover a weak point in the system of
people's Images and provide a set of additional Images, which are mostly true,
except one, which allows flipping of electric flow in the Empathic Machine to
their benefit.
This is difficult to do for a person
normally engaged with the Empathic Machine: this person feels actions against
the society as actions hurting oneself. Hence, Con Artists and Demagogues are
essentially sociopath. They erected a wall between themselves and the society,
which allows them to hurt the society and feel no pain.
The nature of the Empathic Machine allows
such behavior, as the nature of market allows trade in illicit drugs. Hence, it
is difficult to deal with this kind of people as a class. One should not try to
discern a particular lie generated by them, which caused a pathological
flipping, and raise defenses against it. New lies are invented, when defenses
against old ones are erected.
These individuals should be clearly
"marked" and all their communication should be discarded.
An
immature society, which could fall under influence of Images of surrounding
insane societies, needs a strict authoritative system, which allows it to
maintain its own healthy system of Images. This need disappears with maturity
of the society.
Craving
for Authority, which one could observe in mature societies, is a sign of
pathological development.
In a society with many Barriers in the
Empathic Machine, there is a craving for some system, which maintains the
system of patterns of electric flow in the Empathic Machine in spite of
disconnects caused by Barriers. The preservation of the society perceived as
possible through some system enforcing the system of Images in the society.
Such external reinforcement often comes in
a form of rigid interpretations of religious texts or even in a form of a rigid
organized religion.