The West: the separation of church and state. That is the key difference between ‘them’ and ‘us’. This secular principle gave rise to science, medicine, technology, law, public safety, public welfare, and freedom from harm, and the idea of freedom of choice. There are, however, ideologies interfering with these principles…
The Greeks promoted human reason, a secular value, which has wended its way through various cultures and arisen independently in various places. Rationalism, ethics and logic can only develop and form the foundation of a society once religious delusions and superstitions are rejected.
Every ruler or rulership of a society necessarily holds monopoly of violence. As we can see in countries where a parallel society has developed, there are confrontations to decide which group holds that monopoly. Iran over the past 4,000 years, and especially since 1979, is a great example. Paris and Minnesota are demonstrating a change in this monopoly.
Historically, the key driver for separation of church and state came from Protestantism: secular law was the only solution to prevent Protestants and Catholics from continuing their centuries of murder. Islam has not yet had any internal need to generate secular law. Being equally matched and equally blood-thirsty, impartial judgements were critical to the survival of society in England. In Europe, the Catholics expelled everyone who would not comply, hence the religious tapestry in the USA.
As an aside, a pet theory I have relevant to the Industrial Revolution is the huge impact of coffee, sugar, tea and chocolate. Previously, most people drank mead. Suddenly, dulled senses were hyper-stimulated. Imagine how tweaky those gents were… gottacreateasteamengineyesgottadothis!!
Be wary of extrapolating our current experience of ‘the West’ back through history to ‘the Greeks’: the Enlightenment was a critical time in the development of the secular West, much like an embryo developing into a foetus. The West, a secular and global society, offers a peaceful life, choice over public policy, protections for individuals above religious dogma, and personal agency. However, these are recent developments: for example, in Australia, Aboriginal peoples gained the right to vote in 1962 and gays got the right to be married in 2017.
The salient question for each person is this: do you wish to live in a society governed by secular law: equality, impartial and reasoned judgements, everyone subject to the same laws, or do you wish to live in a society where you may be punished without reason, with no recourse for justice, and with no right of respect?
Whomsoever holds the monopoly of violence affects each person’s life. Based on impartial law, secularism as the core of a society creates trust, safety and positivity. Secularism also engenders higher standards of living. Unlike the monotheistic religions, neoliberalism or communism, and wokism and identity politics, secularism is not an ideology but a mechanism for maximising freedom from harm. Secularism does not rule through fear but through trust.
I reckon we should elevate secularism to the conscious moral code by which we all conduct our affairs.
