It was quite an exciting moment to have discovered in the beginning of the 21st century (2006)
that there are really still intellectuals with a definite resolve to reinvent human spirituality, against
the tremendous animosity against it, as well as mere negligence regarding it, in acknowledging
and pursuing this ultimate and unique human characteristic celebrated for many centuries since
the early Greek philosophers. The deflation and degradation of the value of the spirit, first by the
humiliating experiences people have been submitted to during the world wars, but then also by
subsequent developments in human societies called industrial populism not only cause extensive
liquidation of human individuals, societies and thinking, but also the liquidation and distortion
of all the knowledges human lives depend on, like know-how-to-live (or to know-how-to-be-inthe-
world), know-how-to-act and know-how-to-think (including theorising and criticising).
First of all, it is considered necessary to give an overview of what human spirituality may
indeed entail. In this regard Valéry’s views are taken as a guideline together with the work of
Bernard Stiegler and Ars Industrialis. It seems clear according to them that human spirituality
constitutes the core of what it means to be human and that all human activities can be seen as
manifestations of spirituality either in a negative or in a positive sense. The notion of pharmakon
which may mean either poison or medication is used to describe these possible negative or positive
outcomes. To work towards the positives in order to achieve a reinvention of spirituality and the
re-enchantment of the world, especially in view of the strong and comprehensive impact of
degrading, rationalising and deflating factors like world wars and other forms of violence,
consumer culture and economic and market forces,together with technical and technological
forces, constitute an immense challenge that calls for a struggle. In order to achieve this reinvention and re-enchantment the struggle is a formidable one. The
reason is that a comprehensive denigration of the spirit is taking place in contemporary societies
for which many powers of a political, social, economic, technical and even cognitive nature are
responsible. The powers of the market and of capitalism and of consumption, under the guidance
and inspiration of these powers, take over societies and individuals and destroy the love of self,
and the love for others, with an effect on community and the notion of the “us” and also on human
sensitivity and care. The impact touches the roots of societies to such an extent that it causes
symbolic misery that also leads to spiritual misery: a misery that touches all spiritual endeavours
and experiences. No wonder socio-pathology is being considered to be the deepest implication
of all these and as such constitutes our single most serious problem.
Extensive efforts should be mobilised to counter these developments in order to avoid
catastrophic, barbaric and beastly dispositions and strategies that may lead to the downfall of
the human race. Nothing less than a socio-therapy will suffice. What does such a strategy include?
It is more of a process than a piece of ready made medication that has to do with the cultivation
of compositional thinking, and loving, and caring of a special nature. Reinventing care, love,
knowledge and a well founded society of individuals who excel in their singularity may be
significant contributing factors leading towards a process of healing.
It must be realised that spirit, digital technics,and technologies of the spirit are of a
pharmacological nature. The pharmakon is both poison and remedy. All these matters can be
either diabolical or symbolical, that is, destructive or constructive, poisonous or remedial. The
embracement of the diabolical will bring about and enhance symbolic misery; the embracement
of the symbolic may limit the destructive powers of the diabolical. Should we want to take up the
remedy we have to move in the direction of the symbolical. The ultimate objective should be to resist industrial populism in all its manifestations of
discredit, disgust, distrust and bad faith that poisons the world, in favour of the value of the spirit
that will lead to the re-enchantment of the world and the rediscovery of the fullness and closeness
of being. Supporting factors will be the sound foundation of society in a true communal sense and
the resistance against ignorance and the illumination of true knowledge and the continuous battle
for intelligence against the possibility of the degree zero of thought and the reign of ignorance,
with the support of an industrial politics and technology of spirit. A kind of nootechnics or
nootherapy must come into play.
Hierdie artikel is ’n bondige oorsig oor aspekte van die werk van die filosoof, Bernard Stiegler,
en die vereniging Ars Industrialis, waarby hy en verskeie kollegas betrokke is. Die vertrekpunt
hiervoor is die merkwaardige publikasie deur hulle met die titel: Heropluistering van die wêreld:
geestelike waarde teenoor industriële populisme, asook twee Manifeste wat binne die bestek van
vyf jaar beslag gekry het as die kern van hulle argumente. Aandag word ook gegee aan die
belangrikste publikasies van Stiegler wat min of meer gedurende hierdie tyd die lig gesien het.
Sake wat beklemtoon word, is die karakterisering van gees, die identifisering van magte wat
die gees aftakel en in die proses die wêreld ontluister, dit wat in die aftakelingsproses alles in die
slag bly, die omvang en impak van hierdie magte tot die dimensies van ’n sosiopatologie toe. Die
geïmpliseerde aftakeling van die individu tot ’n gedisaffekteerde wese, die aftakeling van die
gemeenskap tot ’n volslae verlies van gevoelvolheid, sorgsaamheid en liefde en die aftakeling
van kennis en denke tot berekenbare en berekenende middelmatigheid wat uiteindelik lei tot
katastrofe, stommiteit en barbaarsheid, is alles sake wat intens geraak word.
Hierbenewens word ook aandag gegee aan hoe hierdie sake, volgens Stiegler en sy medewerkers,
deur ’n sekere soort stryd van ’n intellektuele, konseptuele en gevoelvolle aard beveg
kan en moet word, met die hulp van institusies en dissiplines naas dié van individue, ten einde ’n
sosioterapie te verwesenlik deur die herfundering van menslike gemeenskaplikheid (die ware
“ons”-wees) en die stryd teen onkunde wat ook ’n stryd vir intelligensie is, waardeur die herwinning
van geestelikheid, die herinvensie van sorgsaamheid en liefde, die heropluistering van die wêreld
en die belewenis van synsnabyheid verwesenlik kan word met die hulp van die industriële politiek
en tegnologieë van die gees. ’n Soort noötegniek of noöterapie moet in werking tree.
