I Have A Theory…
Modern Social Imaginaries
Standing on the premise that modern society has come about through countless struggles in order to first build, and then maintain the social framework that the world now understands as the modern western world, Charles Taylor, crafts a wonderful read, outlining the developments of our distinct modern western society, characterized by the market economy, the public sphere, and the self-governing people.[1]
Based on a mutually agreed moral order and with an agreed contract, people gather and form a society with the ability to acquire goods and fulfill life desires with a relative sense of peace and protection.[2] The reality of such a society was indeed a process over time, but Taylor argues against the notion of some anarchy moving in random evolutionary way to a civilized order. Rather, he believes, along with Locke, that there is, what one might refer to as, an “invisible hand” factor,[3] that has always been working in all human societies to bring about systematically beneficent results for the general happiness of all people. It is through this “invisible hand,” which Taylor acknowledges as the providential work of God, which gives us the powers of reason and discipline. “Thus being endowed with reason, we see that not only our lives but that of all humans are to be preserved.”[4] “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you,” so says the Golden Rule. This is what makes the world go round, i.e., I am concerned about my welfare and self preservation, but at the same time I understand (reason within myself), that if I do not care about your welfare and preservation, I will have neither welfare nor self preservation. As Taylor put it, “God’s design is of interlocking causes, not of harmonized meanings.”[5] We exchange services with one another in the hopes of obtaining and maintaining a better life. If we have no regard for each other then we fail at both obtaining our desired goods or our self preservation.
This movement toward a civilized people does not come easily. Taylor makes the comparison between societies and children; both needing discipline.[6] Like children, societies need to be refined, cultured, and trained in the art of politeness, courtesy, and civility. Taylor traces the history of how humanity moved from warring tribes of nobilities to a refined “courtesy” society in the West using widespread new forms of discipline.[7] Often imposing the views of civility upon the masses without much, if any, consent from the masses. Taylor brought out the often symbiotic relationship between the church and the rescue of civil order in their mutual desire to bring about the desired social change.[8]
As society moved from one imaginary to another, the prescribed essence of the new imaginary has to be in place first in theory then in practice. The theory of the new, revolutionary, imaginary needed to be “schematized,” as Kantain philosophy put it.[9] The very theory of things such as civility, politeness, and sovereign people need to be understood and internalized by the political actors. For people understand a theory by the practices that put the theory into effect.[10] In so doing a society can be transformed.
As the church seeks to transform our current western-consumer-driven culture into what we see as God’s ultimate desire for us, we need to understand the history and principles that Taylor provides us in the transforming of our society and how the church has both helped and made mistakes. Unfortunately, the current move to a sovereign people has culminated in a rather selfish dualistic approach of life, seeking security and prosperity as main ends that are now the principle goals of our organized western society.[11] The church needs to provide a greater vision then simply life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness focusing only on the quasi-economic metaphor of our profitable exchange.[12] The church must put forth a “theory” that would eventually be be realized with practices that reflect the principles of the King and His Kingdom. In honor of Martin Luther King Jr. the church could take up the speech, “I have a theory…” Let us each work to change society into that which God truly desires, to love Him and love our neighbor, for one can hardly do wrong to the one he loves.
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