Terry is a new Fellow based in Cincinnati, Ohio. Here he outlines his thoughts on the RSA and what it means to be a Fellow.
Terry Grundy
“21st Century Enlightenment” – what an irresistible tagline! I had known about the RSA for years and, in a general way, knew of its reputation for being an organization that promotes social progress through dialogue and research, but it was the tagline that caused me to take a deeper look and, in the event, to become a Fellow.
You see, I’m among those who believe that the “Program of the Enlightenment”, which arose in Europe in the 16th and 17th centuries, is the source of most of those good things which make it possible for human life to be the opposite of “nasty, brutish and short”. And while I know full well that scholars argue endlessly about the core values of the Enlightenment, most would agree that science, technology, secularism, tolerance, the rule of law, individual rights, and democratic forms are among the very valuable gifts that the Enlightenment has given the world.
That’s why I was thrilled to see the RSA putting at the center of its mission the task of reviving and reframing the Program of the Enlightenment is this troubled century. That’s also why I’ve been intrigued to follow Mr Taylor, our chief executive, as he queries us Fellows on what we think 21st Century Enlightenment will look like and uses his blog as a platform for related debates (like the recent one between the “rational optimists” and those whom one might call the “hopeful pessimists”). These are important debates and its striking that they’re occurring in the RSA. One only wishes more people were paying attention.
I’m proud to be associated with an organization that’s taking these questions seriously. With luck, our current discussion on the meaning of Fellowship will be an opportunity to acknowledge that the Program of the Enlightenment is being undermined everywhere by new orthodoxies, fundamentalisms, fanaticisms, and totalitarianisms. The point is that we’re not doing a very good job of winning the hearts and minds of the world’s young people to the fundamental ideas and value propositions of the Enlightenment. Indeed, it seems that we “natural sons and daughters of the Enlightenment” can’t be bothered with any great effort to win their hearts and minds.
As William Butler Yeats famously wrote, “The best lack all conviction, while the worst are full of passionate intensity.” As a result, far too many of the world’s young people are embracing worldviews that can only be described as “Anti-Enlightenment” – a very troubling development indeed and one that can lead to grim outcomes, just as Anti-Enlightenment worldviews led to grim outcomes in the first half of the 20th century.
As an organization, we ought to be doing everything in our power to make sure these outcomes don’t occur. Most critically, we should consider ourselves conscience bound to revive and reframe the Program of the Enlightenment for our century, to make it both credible and compelling for the young people of the world. Then, once the reviving and reframing is done, we will face an even bigger task: promoting and propagating “21st Century Enlightenment” in all those communities and societies in which our Fellows are embedded. I’m ready to roll up my sleeves and join other RSA Fellows in this work. What could be more important?
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To be enlightened one needs to reflect on the values operant in
our lives, our decisions and the cultural context in which we live.
The excessiveness of materialism, blind acquisition of the latest
gadget, the newest fad, the pursuit of power for its own sake all are encouraged in a materialistic society. Indeed, it’s patriotic.
What does “Enlightenment” mean in the 21st century? Can we
say IT ended and an age of materialism set in? And shall we ask
using the question of an enlightened person: ” It depends on what your definition of IT is.”