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  1. Treasure Brooks

    How does the rise of the organization Man and the practice of Social Ethics relate to the decrease in religious intensity noted in Discussion Question3?

    The decrease in religious intensity can be attributed to people embracing individualism and seeking solace from the collective identities cast upon them by an American government eager to solidify a national identity in the wake of foreign aggression, as well as the desire for self-actualization in industries that put little emphasis on the common man’s contributions. Whyte does not explicitly make the assertion that Social Ethics, what he considers to be a practical revision of individualism in an organized society, supplanted religious fervency. Instead, he suggests that the decrease in religious zeal was the byproduct of a much more complex desire for citizens of the cold war era to establish a sense of agency. Organized religion is founded upon the principle that humans are not the sole proprietors of their destinies, but rather omniscient entities such as gods. Organized religion instructs how man should live his everyday life. Such instructions are merely suggestions, and if not followed result in intangible ramifications, mostly on one’s peace of mind. Corporations and other collectives compromised of individuals also inform how man chooses to live his life i.e., when he chooses to awake or sleep depending on his work hours, where he chooses to live depending on his place of work’s location, and the amount of stress he agrees to endure depending on his wages and future career goals. The contrast between the ramifications of not following religious doctrine versus not complying with the expectations of organized society is a matter of practicality and tangibility; for one can see the immediate effects of opposing organized society (homlessness, isolation, etc.) whereas the greatest repercussions to opposing God are confined to the afterlife (heaven and hell) and the psyche (guilt and shame.) Therefore, the rigidity of religion and the unforgiving nature of organized society left little room for autonomy. It is my suspicion that the citizens of the cold war era adopted Social Ethics to protect them from the harsh realities that come with resisting organization while simultaneously providing them a sense of pseudo-dominance over their lives. By tirelessly investing in the collective for sake of personal gain, people unwittingly swore their allegiance to a system they abhorred and left little room to praise the elusive Gd. The adoption of social ethics during the cold war and the diminishing significance of religion in the American household could potentially be the starting point of Amerca’s near sided, career obsessed, short term gratification culture that is still prevalent today.

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