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3. Priorities A priority is a principle that determines preference. Without a priority we cannot choose. To ‘decide’ is to choose one option from a number of options. To choose is to prefer. We prefer according to our priority. Priorities determine what we consider as ‘good’ and for whom it is ‘good’. Many believe priorities are ‘natural’ or ‘self-evident’. Not so. They are arbitrary assertions we make as without them we cannot make a decision. Before World War I in Europe many believed that ‘good’ means “Whatever is good for King and country.” In the United States some believed that “What’s good for General Motors is good for the United States.” But is ‘Good for General Motors’ also good for the Ford Motor Company? Ford employees may think otherwise. Human priorities are created by people, not by ‘Nature’, not by ‘God’, not by ‘History’, not by ‘Reality.’ Priorities are not imposed on us from outside, above, or below. If they were, there wouldn’t be political problems. Many people believe ‘Survival’ is the ultimate priority imposed on us by Nature. Hamlet refutes this. If survival were his priority ‘not to be’ cannot be an option, as he must conclude ‘to be’ and has nothing to decide. But for Hamlet ‘not to be’ is an option, so he must decide, not conclude. For Hamlet - and many others - survival is not the ultimate priority. There is no ultimate priority. A BBC survey conducted in 2004 showed that 71% of US citizens were ready ‘to die for God.’ They value God more than their survival. Many value their WAY of life more than life itself. Many prefer to risk their lives for Freedom or Honour rather than to live under oppression, or in shame. ‘Death before dishonour!’ and ‘Freedom or death!’ motivated millions to fight against oppression rather than submit to it. Is submission to Nazi rule preferable to fighting against Nazism? Many replied - No. Human society was not created by Nature. It is an arbitrary creation of people. By creating society people liberated themselves from total subordination to Nature. In Nature behaviour is dominated by biological needs. There is nothing ‘good’ in being completly dominated by biological needs: it abolishes freedom and reduces priorities to one - survival. Living in society liberates us from this enslavement by making the fulfilment of biological needs easier. Society frees us to choose priorities set by us, not by Nature. Life in society enables us to choose our own priorities. All political priorities can be sorted into just five types by posing the question: “I want to do what is “Good”, but for whom should this be good ”? The five possible answers are: 1. Good for me/my family (the Ego-centric priority) 2. Good for my King/Country/Nation/tribe (the Ethno-centric priority) 3. Good for Humanity (the Anthropo-centric priority) 4. Good for God (the Theo-centric priority) 5. Good for all Nature (the Bio-centric priority) At any moment we have a single priority. We need it as without it we cannot decide. We cannot have two priorities at the same time, as we cannot prefer two things. We may want two things but if we must choose one of them we must prefer by using our priority. Each priority excludes all other priorities. ‘Good for King and Country’ excludes ‘Good for me’; ‘Deutschland uber Alles’ excludes ‘Rule Britannia’; both exclude ‘Good for Humanity.’ Many people use one priority for one purpose and another priority for other purposes but at any given moment everyone has only a single priority. Economic and political conflicts originate from conflicts of priorities. Ethno-centrism of one group comes into conflict with ethno-centrism of other groups and often leads to war. Egocentrism of one person comes into conflict with the egocentrism of all other persons. Ego-centrism, the priority principle of Capitalism, contradicts Anthropo-centrism, which is the priority principle of Socialism and of Christianity. Each priority has sub-priorities, to decide what does ‘good’ mean. ‘Good for me’ can mean maximum health, or maximum wealth, or maximum power, or maximum happiness, or longevity. Here too we can have only one sub-priority at any moment. How do priorities affect Hamlet and the doctor? They affect Hamlet but not the doctor. Hamlet decides according to his priorities but the doctor concludes by applying logical reasoning to medical data, not by personal priorities. If Hamlet is religious then his priority makes him choose ‘to be’ as all religions forbid suicide. But if his priority is ‘good for me’, and if he prefers death to dishonour, then he’ll decide ‘not to be’. A doctor cannot choose a medical conclusion. Conclusions are not chosen but imposed by the data and by logic. What about politics? Is “Politics” decisions or conclusions ? Politicians vote for policies. No one can vote for a conclusion, so politics is deciding. ‘Good for King and country’ was the priority of most Europeans up to World War I, and millions of Europeans volunteered to die for that priority. Two world wars changed people’s priorities. Today most people in Europe and the United States have another priority: Ego-centrism. ‘I do what is good for me’. In his inaugural speech in 1961 President Kennedy appealed to the American people to reconsider their priorities. He said : “Ask not what your country can do for YOU. Ask what YOU can do for your country.” He asked Americans to change their priority from ego-centrism to ethno-centrism. Very few did so. Priorities are programmed into children by parents, teachers, leaders. Once implanted, it is very difficult to change them. People believe that their own priority is ‘natural’, ‘self-evident’, ‘the only sensible choice’. But all priorities are arbitrary. No priority can be justified ‘objectively’ as every justification is itself based on a priority which requires justification. Despite Kennedy’s request, very few Americans changed their ego-centric priority. Some Americans decided that Kennedy’s priorities contradicted their priorities and assassinated him on November 22, 1963, in Dallas, Texas. This event - like all wars - demonstrates that conflicts of priorities often motivate people to kill. |
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