Part 3: The Interdependent World
11. The Optimal Systems
The interdependent world is threatened by extremism that promotes ideological supremacy and purity, and abhors interdependence. To prevent extremism, the global unity of traditions is achieved by establishing the optimal systems as the middle ways between opposite traditions.
1. The interdependent world is in crisis.
2. The crises are caused by extremism excessively deviated from the optimal systems in religion, economy, politics, and environment.
3. Crises can be ended if extremism can be minimized.
4. The minimization of extremism can be achieved through the optimal systems as the middle ways between the opposite traditions in religion, economy, politics, and environment in the optimization fourfold path.
• optimal religion: the universal trinity creed among divisive religions, cooperative religions, and interdependent religions
• optimal economy: the optimal equality economy between capitalism and socialism and the optimal dual economy between divisive economy and cooperative economy
• optimal politics: the optimal dual politics between democracy and meritocracy
• optimal environment: the optimal ecological footprint between anthropocentricism and environmentalism
The mechanism to maintain the optimal systems is through the feedback loops between opposite traditions, resulting in the optimization fourfold path to bring the new global unity in the Unity Period.
The Optimization Fourfold Path
optimal optimal system between the opposite traditions
religion universal trinity creed divisive religions, cooperative religions, and interdependent religions economy optimal equality economy capitalism and socialism
optimal dual economy divisive economy and cooperative economy politics optimal dual politics democracy and meritocracy
environment optimal ecological footprint anthropocentricism and environmentalism
In organism, the maintenance of optimal conditions necessary for survival is called homeostasis. The deviation of the optimal value of the controlled parameter can result from the changes in internal and external environments. The deviation is affected by feedback loop that is the complete causal path that leads from the initial detection of the deviation to the subsequent modification of the deviation. The feedback loop can be beneficial feedback loop to narrow the deviation or adverse feedback loop to widen the deviation. For example, the deviation from the optimal body temperature can be narrowed by the beneficial feedback loop or widened by the adverse feedback loop. The adverse feedback can lead to a runaway process that can end in death if not stopped.
In religion, economy, politics, and environment, the deviations of the optimal systems can result from the change of environments. For example, the environment of automation and globalization can lead to excessive inequality deviated from the optimal equality. The feedback loop from capitalism brings about the adverse feedback loop to widen the deviation, while the
feedback loop from socialism brings about the beneficial feedback loop to narrow the deviation.
The adverse feedback can lead to a runaway process that can end in economic crisis if not stopped.
The maintenance of the optimal systems requires the unity of the opposite traditions in religion, economy, politics, and environment. The reason for such unity is that a person or a human society originally possesses all these opposite traditions as that the biological systems of a person consists of all opposite feedbacks. Different societies, segments in a society, and people develop different cultures and personalities with the different compositions of the traditions. The optimal systems are inclusive to include all cultures and personalities. For example, a society includes both capitalists and workers. In the classical theory of economy for capitalism developed in the 18th century, capitalists were more or less same as workers, because most business people were small business people and workers themselves at the same time. After the full development of the industrial revolution, capitalists and workers are vastly different, and capitalists are much richer and more powerful than workers. Capitalism derived from freedom favors capitalists, and socialism derived from equality favors workers. A complete society consists of both capitalists and workers. The optimal equality maintained by the feedback loops of capitalism and socialism is inclusive for both capitalists and workers which cannot exist alone.
Various traditions are derived from the social structure and the worldview based on the moral structure. The human social structure consists of individualistic society, collectivistic society, and interdependent society. The worldview consists of the divisive worldview to view the world as an outsider in out-group and the cooperative worldview to view the world as an insider in in-group. The divisive worldview is based on the divisive morality with freedom and supremacy as moral values, while the cooperative worldview is based on the cooperative morality with reciprocity and cohesive relationship as moral values.
11.1. The Optimal Religion .
The optimal religion is based on the optimal platforms among divisive religions (Judaism, Greek individualism, and Islam), cooperative religions (Hinduism and Confucianism), and interdependent religions (Christianity, Buddhism, and Daoism). The optimal platforms constitute the universal trinity creed. The universal trinity creed is one creed in three platforms which are the transcendental civilized platform, the immanent civilized platform, and the harmonious natural platform, for the unknowable transcendental supernatural, the knowable immanent supernatural, and experiential conscience, respectively, corresponding roughly to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, respectively, in the Christianity. As the Christian trinity where one God is in three persons, the universal trinity creed is one creed in three platforms.
Like the Father, the transcendental supernatural based on the divisive worldview is unknowable, transcending the universe. The unknowable transcendental supernatural is described by Paul in the Bible.
Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! “Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?” “Who has ever given to God, that God should repay them?” (Romans 11:33-35)
Like the Son, the immanent supernatural based on the cooperative worldview is knowable through the overlapping of the supernatural and civilization. The knowable immanent supernatural is described by John in the Bible.
No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known. (John 1:18)
Like the Spirit, conscience based on no worldview is experiential as the internal moral guide.
Conscience is described by Paul in the Bible. The Spirit from God is within us.
They show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts sometimes accusing them and at other times even defending them. (Romans 2:15)
And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever—the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. (John 14-16-17)
Basically, the civilized platforms are about civilized large social groups with moral codes, laws, hierarchy, and rituals, while the natural platform is about harmonious small social groups with harmonious mind. In the universal trinity creed, there is the unknowable and unverifiable transcendental supernatural transcending the space-time of the universe, there is the knowable, verifiable, universal, and cooperative immanent supernatural overlapping with the civilized mind, there is the experiential natural conscience for harmonious society, mind, and adaptation, and there is one universal creed in three platforms which are the unknowable transcendental civilized platform, the knowable immanent civilized platform, and the experiential harmonious natural platform.
The Universal Trinity Creed
Transcendental Civilized Platform
Immanent Civilized Platform
Harmonious Natural Platform
Worldview divisive cooperative no
Christian Terminology
Father Son Holy Spirit
Supernatural transcendental supernatural immanent supernatural conscience
Knowledge unknowable knowable experiential
Social Group large large small
Components unverifiable verifiable, universal, and cooperative
harmonious society, mind, and adaptation
The major religions or the combinations of the major religions contain the universal trinity creed. Different religions or the combinations of religions can replace the supernatural, the civilized mind, and conscience with the suitable names for the religions. For examples, for Judaism, the transcendental supernatural can be replaced by God (Elohim), the immanent supernatural can be replaced by Yahweh, and conscience can be replaced by the laws in heart.
For Islam, the transcendental supernatural can be replaced by Allah, the immanent supernatural can be replaced by the Quran, and conscience can be replaced by the Holy Spirit or Sufi spiritualism. For Daoism and Confucianism, the transcendental supernatural can be replaced by
the impersonal Heaven, the immanent supernatural can be replaced by ancestors and the civilized Way (Dao) as in Confucianism, and conscience can be replaced by the natural Way as in Daoism. For Hinduism and Buddhism, the transcendental supernatural can be replaced by Brahma (the creator), the immanent supernatural can be replaced by Vishnu (the preserver) and Shiva (the transformer), and conscience can be replaced by Yoga or the Noble Eightfold Path.
The Transcendental Civilized Platform
In the transcendental civilized platform, the transcendent supernatural that transcends idolatry and the space-time of the observable universe is unknowable. Since our scientific knowledge is possible only in the space-time in the observable universe, the transcendental supernatural is unknowable, especially if the observable universe is not the only one universe (multiverse), has no definite beginning (cyclic universe), and something (positive energy and negative energy) can come from nothing (zero energy) as described by Stephen Hawking in A Brief History of Time 57: “The positive energy of the matter is exactly balanced by the negative energy of the gravitational field. So the universe can start off with zero energy and still create matter.” The transcendental supernatural transcends idols, material universe, and science.
Outside of the space-time of the observable universe, the transcendental supernatural is unverifiable.
The Immanent Civilized Platform
In the immanent civilized platform, the immanent supernatural is the overlapping of the supernatural and the civilized mind. The immanent supernatural is knowable, universal, and cooperative. The transcendental supernatural is unknowable. The supernatural can be known only through overlapping with the civilized mind. The immanent supernatural is knowable, because the history and the principles of our civilization are knowable. The duality between the transcendental supernatural and the immanent supernatural is the duality between the unknowable and the knowable. All civilized religions that claim to be the revelation of the supernatural are knowable, so the supernatural in the knowable religions are the immanent supernatural, not the transcendental supernatural. In terms of science, the knowable is verifiable. Accordingly, the immanent supernatural is verifiable. The verified is truth.
The universe is predestinated to produce simple organisms that are evolved into the organisms capable to have civilizations that overlap with the supernatural. The predestination is parallel to the anthropic principle58 of astrophysics and cosmology that predestinates the conscious life that is capable to observe the physical universe. The predestination is contrary to the pointless universe described by Steve Weinberg, a Nobel laureate in physics. He wrote, “The more the universe seems comprehensible, the more it seems pointless”59.
The immanent religion of the civilization is predestinated to evolve from the superstitious, provincial, and uncooperative immanent platform into verifiable, universal, and cooperative immanent civilized platform. The transformation involves the three-step transformation, consisting of the verifiable, universal, and cooperative transformations.
1. verifiable
The first step in the transformation is the verifiable transformation. The purpose of the ancient sacred texts is to teach instead of recording history. The ancient sacred texts use both metaphor and true history as teaching tools. Metaphor, like parable, is not verifiable, while true
history is verifiable by historical, archeological, and scientific evidences. For examples, the creation story in the Bible is an unverifiable metaphor that teaches the transcendence of God. To consider metaphor as true history is superstitious. To consider metaphor as true history is like to consider idol as true God. Both metaphor and true history are important. The verifiable immanent civilized platform distinguishes metaphor from true history. The distinction between metaphor and true history allows the immanent civilized platform to move on toward the core of religion without trying to verify unverifiable metaphor. The transformation from the superstitious immanent civilized platform to the verifiable immanent civilized platform is to separate unverifiable metaphor and verifiable history.
2. universal
The second step in the transformation is the universal transformation. The universal immanent civilized platform allows a person to fulfill the need of rising above the provincial perspective to the universal perspective. After all, the immanent supernatural is universal, so the immanent civilized platform is universal. There is much more than a specific sacred name, a specific period of time, a specific sacred text, and a specific location. There must be meaningful connections among sacred names, periods of time, sacred texts, and locations. The connections are based on the universal verifiable principles of civilization applicable to any civilized societies in the universe. Any high civilization is the product of very large social group (more than million) of highly cooperative beings. The verifiable principles of civilization must account for large social group and highly cooperative beings. The worldview can account for very large social group, and the interdependent society can account for highly cooperative beings. On the earth, only human society and human beings with the worldview and the interdependent society can achieve such civilization. The triple worldview and the triple social structure are the universal verifiable principles of civilization. All individual civilized religions are the manifestations of the universal verifiable principles of civilized society. The transformation from the provincial immanent civilized platform to the universal immanent civilized platform is to connect the provincial civilized platforms with the verifiable principles of civilized society applicable to any civilized societies in the universe.
3. cooperative
The third step in the transformation is the cooperative transformation. The immanent supernatural is formed by the overlapping between the supernatural and the civilized mind. Such overlapping is based on the cooperative worldview, so the immanent civilized platform is cooperative. In the reciprocity of the cooperative worldview, the universal immanent supernatural guides the provincial civilized mind, and the provincial civilized mind is open to the universal immanent supernatural. The cohesive relationship involves the cohesion between the immanent supernatural and humans.
In the divisive worldview, there is continuous battle with the out-group until the end time when there is no more out-group. In the cooperative worldview, there is no such continuous battle with the out-group. Inevitably, all civilized religions (Judaism, Islam, and a part of Christianity) based on the divisive worldview have the prophecies about the end time, while all civilized religions (Hinduism and Confucianism) based on the cooperative worldview do not have the prophecies about the end time. Therefore, the transformation from the divisive immanent civilized platform to the cooperative immanent civilized platform is simply by fast-tracking the end time when there is no more out-group, resulting in the cooperative worldview. The prophecies about the end time are the metaphors to teach the conversion from the divisive worldview to the cooperative worldview.
In the Bible, the cooperative worldview was described by Prophet Isaiah (in the 8th century BC) as the peaceful society without the fighting for survival after the end time.
“See, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind…The wolf and the lamb will feed together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox, and dust will be the serpent’s food. They will neither harm nor destroy on my entire holy mountain,” says the LORD. (Isaiah 65: 17-25)
They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore.
(Isaiah 2:4)
Prophet John (in the first century AD) described the cooperative worldview as the new earth where all nations co-exist peacefully without separation.
Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City… The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there. The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it. (Revelation 21:1-26)
The Quran clearly states that Jews and Christians, and others, will be accepted by God as long as they believe in his existence, his judgment, and perform good deeds.
Indeed, those who believed and those who were Jews or Christians or Sabeans [before Prophet Muhammad] - those [among them] who believed in Allah and the Last Day and did righteousness - will have their reward with their Lord, and no fear will there be concerning them, nor will they grieve. (Quran 2:62)
Since the end of the Cold War, all major powers in the world have become increasingly interdependent in trades, goals, and many parts of life through increasingly ubiquitous global communication. As the human society moves increasingly toward the cooperative worldview, the immanent civilized platforms inevitably move toward the cooperative immanent civilized platforms.
The transformation from the divisive immanent civilized platform to the cooperative immanent civilized platform is to convert the divisive worldview into the cooperative worldview.
The Harmonious Natural Platform
The harmonious natural platform is derived from the human natural society existed in the pre-civilized society. The society was the interdependent society for existential interdependence based on division of labor. The interdependent society includes human, ant, and bee. Existential interdependence means that the society exists only through cooperation based on division of labor. In division of labor, everyone one is gifted and handicapped at the same time. The two important factors in human interdependent society are hyper bond and hyper detection (theory of mind). Hyper bond and hyper detection constitute conscience. The human brain is not capable process hyper bond and hyper detection well beyond the optimal social group size, so human interdependent society cannot exist well in a large social group. The original human society was
the prehistoric hunter-gatherer small group society. The group size was about 30-50 people for a typical size for a cohesive hunter-gatherer band, and is about 150 for the size of cultural lineage of related bands. The Neolithic Revolution changed the small group hunter-gather society into the large group agricultural-nomadic civilized society. The change was irreversible. The reverse of civilized society to hunter-gatherer natural society would have faced massive starvation.
In the human heart, there is yearning to return from the civilized society to the interdependent society. The imitation of the pre-civilized interdependent society was described by Laozi, a founder of Daoism, as a small state with few people.
In the human heart, there is yearning to return from the civilized society to the interdependent society. The imitation of the pre-civilized interdependent society was described by Laozi, a founder of Daoism, as a small state with few people.