Social Distancing - Why They want You Isolated and Alone

Summary

This video script explores the historical and psychological underpinnings of totalitarianism, highlighting how social isolation and the destruction of community associations have historically paved the way for its rise. It delves into the writings of Hannah Arendt, Robert Nisbet, and others to argue that the loss of social belonging can lead to a dangerous swing towards extreme collectivism and state control, urging a revival of smaller, more personal community associations to counteract this trend.

Takeaways

• 🏛️ Totalitarianism thrives on the loneliness and isolation of individuals, exploiting their need for belonging to a community.
• 📚 Robert Nisbet in 'Community and Power' highlights the totalitarian regime's strategy of making people feel that absolute power is the only form of community available.
• 👥 Humans have an innate social need that has historically been met through tribal or local communities, providing a sense of belonging and psychological health.
• 🏡 Erich Neumann's work points out that the individual was once inseparable from the group, and only later emerged as an independent entity in society.
• 🏙️ The Middle Ages provided a variety of community associations that contributed to a strong sense of belonging and resistance against oppressive powers.
• 🤝 Nisbet emphasizes the importance of a web of decentralized authorities that prevent societies from being dominated by a single centralized power.
• 🏛️ The rise of the modern state in the 17th century led to the destruction of traditional community associations, paving the way for a more pervasive political community.
• 💡 19th and 20th-century intellectuals contributed to the dismantling of traditional communities by portraying them as outdated and oppressive, inadvertently leading to social isolation.
• 🔄 Heraclitus's law of enantiodromia suggests that extreme social atomization can lead to a counter-reaction towards extreme collectivism, often manifested in political communities.
• 🌐 Hannah Arendt connects social isolation with the rise of totalitarianism, noting that loneliness has become a common experience that totalitarian regimes exploit.
• 🔄 Hitler and other totalitarian leaders used mass meetings to create a sense of community among isolated individuals, thereby strengthening their control.
• 🤝 Nisbet advocates for the revival of smaller-scale community associations to counteract the growth of the modern state and totalitarian ideologies.

Q & A

What is the main argument presented by Hannah Arendt in 'The Origins of Totalitarianism' regarding the experience of loneliness and totalitarian domination?

Hannah Arendt argues that totalitarian domination is a form of government that capitalizes on the loneliness and the experience of not belonging to the world, which is one of the most radical and desperate experiences of humans.

What was the intention behind the extreme social isolation measures taken a few years ago as mentioned in the script?

The intention behind the extreme social isolation measures was ostensibly to protect people, but the script suggests that there might be more nefarious reasons behind such measures, linking them to the historical tactics of tyrants and totalitarians to control individuals by isolating them.

According to Robert Nisbet in 'Community and Power', what does the genius of totalitarian leadership lie in?

Robert Nisbet suggests that the genius of totalitarian leadership lies in its awareness that human personality cannot tolerate moral isolation and that absolute power will be acceptable only when it appears as the only available form of community and membership.

How did the tribal identity provide a sense of social belonging to our ancestors?

The tribal identity provided our ancestors with an unwavering sense of social belonging because each member's sense of self was deeply intertwined with the group, fulfilling their social needs at a tribal or local level.

What role did community associations play in medieval society in terms of fulfilling social needs and resisting external threats?

In medieval society, community associations such as markets, guilds, and local assemblies provided a strong sense of social belonging that bolstered psychological health and the courage to resist external powers threatening their social groups.

How does Robert Nisbet describe the effect of a multitude of community associations on the decentralization of authority in medieval society?

Nisbet describes that the multitude of community associations created a web of decentralized authority, which safeguarded societies from being overtaken by any single centralized power, keeping society mobile and free.

What was one of the primary trends that accompanied the development of the modern state in the 17th century?

One of the primary trends was the destruction of traditional community associations, with the state imposing itself as the intermediary, regulator, or manager of almost all forms of social organization and interaction.

How did the intellectuals of the 19th and 20th centuries contribute to the dismantling of traditional community associations?

Intellectuals argued that institutions such as the church and the family were outdated, obsolete, and oppressive, contributing to the dismantling of traditional community associations and promoting the idea that traditional communities limited individual freedom.

What is the law of enantiodromia, and how does it relate to social atomization?

The law of enantiodromia, formulated by Heraclitus, states that when an individual or society is too one-sided or excessive, a counterreaction to the opposite extreme will occur. In the context of social atomization, it suggests that extreme isolation can trigger a swing to extreme collectivism.

How did Hitler use mass political meetings to counteract the social isolation felt by individuals?

Hitler used mass political meetings to provide individuals who felt lonely and isolated with a sense of belonging to a large community, which had a strengthening effect on most people.

What does Robert Nisbet suggest as a solution to the problem of social atomization and the growth of the modern state?

Nisbet suggests a revival of smaller scale community associations and the establishment of new forms relevant to contemporary life, which would act as effective barriers to the spread of centralized political power.

What does Carl Jung say about the necessity of social connections for individuation?

Carl Jung emphasizes that individuation is only possible with and through people, and that one must realize they are a link in a chain, not an isolated entity, to truly cultivate their individuality.

What warning does Carl Jung give about the consequences of a lack of social connections for an individual?

Carl Jung warns that a person whose life is meaningless due to a lack of social connections is on the road to state slavery, becoming an unwitting proselyte of it.

How does Nisbet describe the appeal of totalitarianism to individuals who have lost their sense of community and belonging?

Nisbet describes the appeal of totalitarianism as immense and burning for masses of individuals who have lost or had their accustomed roots of membership and belief taken away, highlighting the positive goal that draws them in.

Outlines

00:00

🌐 The Tyranny of Isolation

This paragraph explores the concept of totalitarianism and its reliance on social isolation to control individuals. Hannah Arendt's 'The Origins of Totalitarianism' is cited to highlight how loneliness and a sense of not belonging are exploited by tyrants. The text also delves into the recent past, reminding viewers of the enforced isolation during the pandemic and questioning its true intent. Robert Nisbet's 'Community and Power' is referenced to emphasize the importance of community in resisting tyranny, and the psychological necessity of social belonging. The historical context of tribal societies and medieval communities is provided to contrast with the modern state's impact on community structures.

05:03

🏛️ The Modern State and the Erosion of Community

This paragraph discusses the rise of the modern state in the 17th century and its role in dismantling traditional community associations. The state's bureaucratic organization and its interference in social organization are critiqued for replacing community-based institutions with state-controlled ones. Examples include the replacement of guilds by government bodies, private hospitals by the Welfare State, and private schools by public education. The paragraph also touches on the intellectual movements of the 19th and 20th centuries that supported the state's efforts, critiquing institutions like the church and family as oppressive. The consequences of this dismantling are explored, including social isolation, anxiety, and a lack of purpose, leading to a discussion on the law of enantiodromia and its implications for societal shifts towards collectivism.

10:04

🔗 The Search for Community in Totalitarianism

This paragraph examines the connection between social isolation and the rise of totalitarianism in the 20th century, as noted by Hannah Arendt. It discusses how leaders like Hitler exploited the lack of community to consolidate power, suppressing independent associations and replacing them with state-controlled entities. The appeal of communism is also explored, not for its ideological merits, but for the sense of community it provides. The paragraph concludes with a call for a revival of community associations as a counter to the modern state's centralization of power. Robert Nisbet's 'Quest for Community' is cited to advocate for new forms of community that are relevant to contemporary life and can act as barriers to further political centralization. The importance of community in fostering individual potential and the risk of state slavery due to social isolation are emphasized.

Keywords

💡Totalitarianism

Totalitarianism is a political system where the state holds total authority over the society and seeks to control all aspects of public and private life. In the video's context, it is linked to the idea that such systems exploit the loneliness and isolation of individuals to exert control, as seen in the quote from Hannah Arendt, 'What prepares men for totalitarian domination in the non-totalitarian world is the fact that loneliness... has become an everyday experience of the ever-growing masses of our century.'

💡Isolation

Isolation refers to the state of being alone or separated from others. The script discusses how extreme social isolation can be a tool for totalitarian regimes to control individuals, as well as the psychological impact it can have on people, making them more susceptible to the allure of a unified community under state control.

💡Social Belonging

Social belonging is the feeling of being an important part of a group or community. The script emphasizes its importance for psychological health and how the lack of it can lead to a void that totalitarian ideologies may fill, as illustrated by the discussion on the tribal identity of our ancestors and the social needs that were satisfied through community associations.

💡Community Associations

Community associations are groups or organizations that bring people together based on shared interests, values, or geographical proximity. The script discusses their role in providing a sense of belonging and resistance against centralized power, as well as how their decline in modern times has contributed to social atomization.

💡Moral Isolation

Moral isolation is the state of being cut off from moral guidance or community support. The script cites Robert Nisbet, who notes that totalitarian leadership exploits this by making its absolute power seem like the only form of community and membership available.

💡Decentralized Authority

Decentralized authority refers to the distribution of power and decision-making among various groups or entities rather than being concentrated in a single source. The script discusses how a web of decentralized authority can protect societies from overreach by centralized power, as seen in the quote by Robert Nisbet, 'It is power, not authority, that seeks homogeneity...'

💡Social Atomization

Social atomization is the process of breaking down social structures into isolated individuals. The script describes how this phenomenon, exacerbated by the modern state's absorption of traditional community associations, has led to a lack of social ties and an increased susceptibility to totalitarian ideologies.

💡Enantiodromia

Enantiodromia is a philosophical concept that suggests that an extreme state of one condition will inevitably lead to its opposite. The script mentions this concept to explain how extreme social atomization can trigger a swing towards extreme collectivism, as people seek community in the state.

💡Collectivism

Collectivism is the idea that the group's interests should be prioritized over individual interests. The script discusses how, in the absence of traditional communities, individuals may turn to the state for a sense of community, leading to a form of collectivism that can be exploited by totalitarian regimes.

💡Individuation

Individuation is a psychological concept referring to the process of becoming an individual by integrating one's personality. The script cites Carl Jung, suggesting that individuation is only possible within a community, and without it, individuals may be more likely to seek a false sense of community in the state.

💡Nihilism

Nihilism is a philosophical viewpoint that suggests life is without objective meaning, purpose, or intrinsic value. The script uses the term to describe the positive appeal of totalitarianism, which offers a sense of purpose and community to those who feel adrift in a nihilistic modern world.

Highlights

Totalitarian domination bases itself on the experience of loneliness and not belonging to the world, as described by Hannah Arendt in 'The Origins of Totalitarianism'.

Social isolation as a tool for control is discussed, with a historical context of the 20th century and modern day practices.

Human personality's intolerance of moral isolation is exploited by totalitarian leadership to establish absolute power.

The importance of social needs for psychological health and the historical fulfillment of these needs at a tribal or local level.

The fusion of the individual with the group in early states and the evolution of independent individualism in medieval society.

Diverse community associations in medieval times provided a sense of belonging and resistance to external threats.

The role of decentralized authority in preventing societies from being overtaken by centralized power.

The modern state's emergence in the 17th century and its impact on the destruction of traditional community associations.

Intellectuals in the 19th and 20th centuries contributed to the dismantling of traditional communities by viewing them as outdated and oppressive.

The unforeseen consequences of 'liberation' from community bonds, leading to social isolation and a lack of purpose.

The phenomenon of enantiodromia, where extreme social atomization triggers a swing to extreme collectivism.

The search for community in the State as a result of social isolation, leading to totalitarianism.

Hitler's use of mass meetings to create a sense of community and counteract the fear of being alone.

The appeal of communism not for its ideology, but for the sense of community it offers.

The need for a revival of smaller scale community associations to counteract the growth of the modern state and totalitarianism.

The importance of community for individual potential maximization and the risk of individuation without communal support.

The warning of Carl Jung on the road to State slavery due to a lack of social connections.

Nisbett's conclusion on the positive goals of totalitarianism and the appeal it exerts on individuals who have lost their sense of community.

Transcripts

...totalitarian domination as a form of government  is new in that it... bases itself on loneliness,  

on the experience of not belonging to  the world at all, which is among the  

most radical and desperate experiences of man.  Hannah Arendt, The Origins of Totalitarianism  

Many people have amnesia regarding that fact that  a mere few years ago we were forced to seclude  

ourselves in our homes, banned from partaking  in social activities and attending communal  

gatherings, and even told to maintain our distance  from others out in public or in our own homes.  

What was the intention of this extreme social  isolation? Was it to protect us, or is there a  

more nefarious reason behind the social distancing  and isolation we were forced to endure? In this  

video, we explain how tyrants and totalitarians  in the 20th century, and into the modern day,  

have attempted to isolate and atomize individuals,  in order to make them easier to control.   

In his book Community and  Power, Robert Nisbet writes:   

“The genius of totalitarian leadership lies in its  profound awareness that human personality cannot  

tolerate moral isolation. It lies, further, in its  knowledge that absolute and relentless power will  

be acceptable only when it comes to seem the only  available form of community and membership.”   

Robert Nisbet, Community and Power Man has social needs that must be fulfilled as  

a basis for psychological health. Throughout most  of history, these needs have been satisfied at a  

tribal or local level. For hundreds of thousands  of years our hunter-gatherer ancestors lived in  

small, tight-knit tribes, and each member’s  sense of self was deeply intertwined with the  

group. This tribal identity provided our ancestors  with an unwavering sense of social belonging.   

“History teaches that in the beginning the  individual did not exist as an independent  

entity…In the early state there is a  fusion of the individual with the group.”  

Erich Neumann, The Origins and  History of Consciousness.   

In medieval society man started to  emerge as an independent individual,  

yet his social needs were still satisfied  through the diverse community associations  

that flourished in towns and villages,  such as markets, guilds, local assemblies,  

town councils, communes, churches, fraternities,  charities, monasteries, universities, and the  

primal community of the family. This multitude  of community associations provided medieval man  

with a strong sense of social belonging that not  only bolstered his psychological health, but also  

his courage and will to resist external powers  which posed a threat to his social groups.   

“Only in their social interdependences are  men given to resist the tyranny that always  

threatens to arise out of any political  government, democratic or other.”   

Robert Nisbet, Community and Power Another benefit of the diverse array of community  

associations that existed in the Middle Ages is  that each had authority figures who, as a result  

of a superior character, knowledge, and ability,  served as role models, maintained communal order,  

and mediated disagreements among members. This  proliferation of authority figures created a web  

of decentralized authority that safeguarded  societies from being overtaken by any single  

centralized power. Or as Nisbett continues:  “We are prone to see the advance of power in the  

modern world as a consequence...of that diminution  of individual freedom. But a more useful way would  

be to see it in terms of the retreat of authority  in many of the areas of society within which human  

beings commonly find roots and a sense of the  larger whole.... It is power, not authority,  

that seeks homogeneity, regimentation, and the  manipulated articulation of parts by hierarchies  

of administrators. And it is the competition  of authorities within society at large that,  

above most things I can think of, keeps a society  mobile and free. “Multiply your associations and  

be free,” wrote the great Proudhon.”  Robert Nisbet, Community and Power  

The modern state came into existence in the  17th century and one of the primary trends that  

accompanied its development was the destruction  of traditional community associations. The state,  

defined by its bureaucratic form of organization  and a stability that extends beyond any individual  

ruler, has from its inception imposed itself  as the intermediary, regulator, or manager,  

of almost all forms of social organization and  interaction. As a few examples, with the birth  

of the modern state, guilds that regulated trade  and maintained quality standards were replaced  

by government regulatory bodies. Charitable and  private hospitals and institutions for the sick  

and disabled were replaced by institutions of the   Welfare State. Private schools and educational  

institutions were replaced by State run public  schools. And the defense provided by merchant  

leagues was replaced by enormous state militaries.  In absorbing or destroying the medieval forms of  

community, the modern State spread its tentacles  throughout society and methodically built up what  

is now an all-encompassing political  community. Or as Nisbet explains:   

“The structure of political power which  came into being three centuries ago on the  

basis of its eradication of medieval forms of  community has remained—has indeed become ever  

more—destructive of the contents of new forms of  community....Knowing the basic psychological truth  

that life apart from some sense of membership in  a larger order is intolerable for most people,  

the leaders of the total State thus direct their  energies not just to the destruction of the old  

order but to the manufacture of the new.”  Robert Nisbet, Community and Power  

In the 19th and 20th centuries many intellectuals  assisted the State’s efforts to dismantle  

traditional community associations by arguing  that institutions such as the church and the  

family were outdated, obsolete, and oppressive.  Friedrich Nietzsche attacked the community of  

Christian Church, calling it “the greatest of  all imaginable corruptions”. Herbert Marcuse,  

a member of the Frankfurt School of Critical  Theory, joined the growing voices of 20th century  

radical feminism by arguing that the community of  the family was a patriarchal system of oppression.  

What motivated these modern iconoclasts was the  idea that traditional communities and institutions  

limited man’s freedom to develop in an autonomous  manner, or as Ross Douthat explains:   

“As social institutions, these [community]  associations would be attacked as inhumane,  

irrational, patriarchal, and tyrannical;  as sources of clinical and economic power,  

they would be dismissed as outdated, fissiparous,  and inefficient. In place of a web of overlapping  

communities and competing authorities, the  liberal West set out to build a society of  

self-sufficient, liberated individuals…”  Ross Douthat, Introduction to  

Community and Power What these intellectual  

iconoclasts did not foresee is that most people  are not self-sufficient or mentally strong enough  

to embrace freedom when they lack community  involvement and a sense of social belonging.  

The dismantling of traditional community  associations has left many people lacking the  

social ties that give their life meaning and joy.  Furthermore, this so called “liberation” from the  

communal bonds of the past left many individuals  socially isolated, anxious, alienated and lacking  

in purpose. This social atomization was taken to  an extreme in the first few years of the 2020s,  

when individuals, most of whom already lacked a  strong sense of community, were forced to isolate  

to a degree never before experienced society-wide.  History shows, that when social atomization and  

isolation reach unnatural levels, it tends  to trigger the phenomenon of enantiodromia.  

The law of enantiodromia, formulated by  the Presocratic philosopher Heraclitus,  

states that when an individual or society is too  one-sided or excessive in some important manner,  

a counterreaction to the opposite  extreme will sooner or later occur.  

In accordance with this law, extreme social  atomization triggers a swing to its opposite,  

extreme collectivism. And as most traditional  forms of community have been destroyed,  

in the modern day this extreme collectivism plays  out in the political realm, as individuals try to  

fulfill their needs by becoming fervent supporters  and participants of the political community of the  

State. Or as Ross Douthat writes:  “Man is a social being, and his desire  

for community will not be denied...And if he  can't find that community on a human scale,  

then he'll look for it on an inhuman  scale—in the total community of the  

totalizing state.”  Ross Douthat,  

Introduction to Community and Power That modern man, in his social isolation,  

is seeking to satiate his yearning for community  by forming a deep emotional and psychological  

bond with the political community of the  State, is apparent when we look at the case  

histories of 20th century totalitarianism.  In her book The Origins of Totalitarianism,  

Hannah Arendt notes the intimate connection  between social isolation, and the rise of  

20th century totalitarianism. As she wrote:   “What prepares men for totalitarian domination  

in the non-totalitarian world is the fact that  loneliness, once a borderline experience usually  

suffered in certain marginal social conditions  like old age, has become an everyday experience  

of the ever-growing masses of our century.”  Hannah Arendt, The Origins of Totalitarianism  

Hitler recognized that a lack of community  creates a void of social isolation which  

can be filled by a strong leader and a strong  state. Hence why, when in power, he suppressed  

and co-opted independent associations  including trade unions, youth groups,  

and other cultural organizations, and replaced  local town hall meetings with mass political  

meetings.  In Mein Kampf Hitler wrote that: "The mass meeting is necessary if only for the  

reason that in it the individual who in  becoming an adherent of a new movement  

feels lonely and is easily seized with the fear  of being alone, receives for the first time the  

picture of a great community, something that  has a strengthening effect upon most people."   

Adolf Hitler, Mein Kampf In a similar manner,  

the attraction which communism held to millions  of people in the 20th century, and continues to  

hold for many today, has less to do with its  ideology than with the sense of community it  

offers its adherents. Or as Nisbet explains:  “To a large number of human beings Marxism offers  

status, belonging, membership, and a coherent  moral perspective. Of what matter and relevance  

are the empirical and logical refutations made  by a host of critics as against the spiritual  

properties that Marx offers to millions.”  Robert Nisbet, Community and Power  

If the cancerous growth of the modern state, as  well as fascism, communism, and totalitarianism,  

are products of the socially atomized masses’  misguided search for community, then what  

Western societies desperately need is a revival  of smaller scale community associations. Or as  

Nisbett writes in the Quest for Community:  “It is not the revival of old communities that  

the book in a sense pleads for; it is the  establishment of new forms: forms which are  

relevant to contemporary life and thought...Hence  the appeal...for what I call a new laissez faire,  

one within which groups, associations, and  communities would prosper and which would be,  

by their very vitality, effective  barriers to further spread of unitary,  

centralized, political power.”  Robert Nisbet, Community and Power  

A diverse multitude of autonomous social groups  and associations helps the individual maximize  

his potential by providing the communal support  and security that is needed for an individual to  

face up to the challenges of life. Furthermore,  it is usually only when man feels secure within  

a community, that he will risk the dangerous  task of individuating himself and cultivating  

his idiosyncratic side. “...no conception of  individuality is adequate that does not take into  

consideration the myriad ties which normally bind  the individual to others from birth to death...”,  

explains Nisbett. Or as Carl Jung writes:  “Individuation is only possible with people,  

through people. You must realize that you are  a link in a chain, that you are not an electron  

suspended somewhere in space or aimlessly  drifting through the cosmos. ~Carl Jung,  

Zarathustra Seminar, Page 103.  If modern man continues to be socially  

isolated and alienated, and allows the  State to separate and distance him others,  

then not only will individuation remain out of  his reach, but many will continue to search for  

community in the totalizing State, and thus be  complicit in their own enslavement. Regarding  

the man whose life is meaningless due to a lack  of social connections, Carl Jung wrote that:  

“...he is already on the road to State  slavery and, without knowing or wanting it,  

has become its proselyte.” Carl Jung, The Undiscovered Self  

Or as Nisbett concludes:  “Totalitarianism is an ideology  

of nihilism. But nihilism is not enough. No  powerful social movement can be explained in  

negative terms alone. There is always the  positive goal...We should miss the essence  

of the total State if we did not see in it  elements that are profoundly affirmative. The  

extraordinary accomplishments of totalitarianism  in the twentieth century would be inexplicable  

were it not for the immense, burning appeal it  exerts upon masses of individuals who have lost,  

or had taken away, their accustomed  roots of membership and belief.”