Followers

Sunday, September 21, 2008

The Delusions of Collective Consensus.

There are just too many things in our mind that are delusional, that even before we start to think, we have to “clean our mind out first”. Just too many things. Lets try to consider one today - the idea of consensus.

I feel that today, “consensus” is one of those words that have received unchecked respect. Probably because it has served well some groups over the years for some ‘practical purposes’, it has come on to ten top ten list of “values to market”. What is consensus anyway?

We understand consensus to mean agreement. But please go further. It means an agreement among the members of a group or community where some of them retain the discretion in decision-making and follow-up action. So, consensus does not just mean agreement. It includes a follow-up action to ensure that the agreement is not breached.

AT the outset itself please understand that consensus has nothing to do with logic or rationality or common sense though sometimes they may coincide. From example, we may form a chatting club called “Nut crackers” and reach a consensus that only males aged between 35 and 50 from Penang can become members. We also reach a consensus that each member will greet the other with the gibberish “Ajija!”. If anyone ask us why, we just reply because we are Nut cracker members. Consensus requires no rational reason.

Consensus must be artificially created otherwise the desired conduct will not exist. Example, members must agree to call each other Ajija!” otherwise that conduct will not exist. On the other hand, we do not need to reach a consensus that the Sun is hot or that the gravity exists. Our consensus or lack thereof does not affect the conduct of the sun and gravity. Knowledge and not consensus that makes us aware of the truth.

What are delusions? It is a word that incorporates “deception”, “fancifulness” and “false”. If something is delusional, we mean it is false and deceptive. A delusional person thinks something is true when actually he has been deceived into thinking so. It is false. In simple language, we become delusional when we are misled into thinking that false is true. In psychiatry, the definition is necessarily more precise and implies that the belief is pathological (the result of an illness or illness process)

With this, let’s consider some thoughts.

Truth does not require consensus for it to be true. Those who deny the truth are either fools or ignorant. I think it is easy to understand so far because I have used easy examples. Let us try something more “complex”.

Let us consider another kind of truth – killing terminates life. It is a truism and you do not need a consensus to verify it. If you do not want to terminate a life, you do not kill. If you kill a human being, that means you want to terminate his life. If you kill an animal, you want to kill its life. These are logical conclusions that follow.

Now you go to war. You kill human beings. If we say you do that because you want to terminate the lives of those whom you kill, you will most probably object and say: “That is not the objective”. Or worse, you may say: “That is the consequence of war or collateral damage” or you may say “they are enemies”. These justifications that meander from the truth are a result of consensus. You have reached a consensus that those whom you kill are not human beings but enemies. Consensus has made us become delusional.

Now you go deer hunting or boar hunting. You kill animals. You do so because you reach a consensus that you are hunting and not killing. The agreed concept of “sports” becomes dominant in your mind and the death of the animals disappears from your consciousness. Consensus has made us become delusional.

There are resources in the world and there are living species that require sufficient amounts of these resources to live. No clean water, we die. Food, clothing, shelter, health are essential for human survival. The opposite of survival is extinction or death. This is the truth. If we deny or allow the denial of these resources to fellow human beings, we allow their extinction or their death. This is true.

But consensus comes in the way of this truth. Consensus makes us delusional.

By consensus, we agree that the theory of “survival of the fittest” shall apply. We agree that persons can own property and once owned the owners can do what they like with it. We also agree that resources can be owned by those who have the means to own them. We agree that “human wants are unlimited and the means to satisfy these wants are limited”. Our delusional mind has equalized the concept of “wants” with “greed” without realizing it.

Hence, you have persons owning a 1000 sq feet bathroom while many others sleep in the open air. Hence you have persons who have food stock up for the next 20 lifetimes while some others cannot find food for 20 days. But we have reached a consensus that it is okay. We even have agreed terms for it “hard core poverty”, “third world countries”, “income differentials”, etc. Once ‘termed’, it becomes an “issue”, no longer real. Once ‘termed’, we become delusional and hence indifferent to the deprivation suffered by other species, including human beings.

Truth does not require a majority vote for it to be a truth. It simply exists. You deny it at your own peril. Falsity requires a majority vote because without consensus, it will not come into being. This is what the Quran says:

“If you obey the majority of those on this earth, they will lead you far from the Way of Allah. They follow nothing but their imaginations and they do nothing but lie” (surah 6 verse 116).


I have always been wary of collective consensus because I have discovered that it is often untrue. A few persons will collectively agree and decree that is the “accepted value or mode of thinking” to be adopted and large sections of the society unthinkingly adhere to this consensus. Due to the fact that most of these consensuses are false, they only increase further the problems experienced by human beings and the world.

Collective consensus, in my humble view leads to mass delusional behavior. It is like a disease which only gets worse and worse because it is left untreated. This is what the Quran says:

“In their hearts there is a disease and this disease does Allah increase in them, and for them is a painful tormenting because they are false (to themselves). And when it is said to them: ‘Do not do evil on earth’, they say ‘We are but the reformers’. Of a surety they are the ones who do evil, but they realize it not” (surah 2 verses 10 to 12)

So, look out for collectives consensuses masquerading as the truth.

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

I see the Nutcracker club resembling the religions that we have today. Lets take Islam. They greet each other with 'Assalamu alaikum'. There is a consensus on this. The ulama call it the ijma of the ulamak or jumhur of the ulama. It means the same thing - a consensus.

For anything and everything the ulama say 'There is a consensus among the ulama' or in Malay 'jumhur ulama bersetuju bahawa' ..bla..bla

This is actually a non starter. If you ask any ulama 'Who are the names of the ulama who made this particular jumhur?' they will be stumped. No one knows.

For example lets take the example that the sembahyang sunnah before maghrib is two rakaat. Who are the names and identities of the ulama who were involved in making this jumhur? No one knows. How many ulama are behind this jumhur? No one knows.

Among the Hanafis they say that the sembahyang sunnah before maghrib (or is it after) is four rakaats. The Hanafis say they also have a jumhur ulama - ulama Hanafi. Ok fine. So who are the names and identities of the Hanafi ulama who made this particular consensus or jumhur? Again no one knows.

How many Hanafi ulamas does it take to derive a consensus? No one knows.

5 ulama, 10 ulama, 25 ulama, 350 ulama? How many? How many ulama does it take to arrive ata consensus or a jumhur or an ijma?

Again no one knows.

But people believe it anyway.

What does it teach us?

It teaches us that people will continue to go to the graveyard at 12 midnite, hit a bamboo tube into some grave and listen for the Dato to give you Empat Ekor numbers.

Anonymous said...

so is religion the largest organised delusional movement for mankind that has gained ultimate consensus?

Anonymous said...

Anonymous 11:11 AM said : so is religion the largest organised delusional movement for mankind that has gained ultimate consensus?

Anon 11:11, be careful what you say. You may be ISAed or Sedition Acted for drawing this type of conclusion.

You see other than untraceable, unprovable jumhur of ulama (consensus), there is one more esssential component of religion (without which religion could die a natural death). That is the use of force.

If you dont agree with religion, they can kill you. Its like the song 'Hotel California' by the Eagles which says 'you can check in anytime you want, but you can never leave'.

Now ask yourself this : Can that be the Truth? Does Truth impose the death penalty on whoever wants to check out?

Some kind of Truth ya? See how I have worded this without attracting the ISA?

Anonymous said...

anonymous 2.14 pm

firstly, when there is a question mark behind a sentence, its used for asking a question. for example did the rain come yesterday?

its a factual question for content, like: so is religion a delusional movement?

actually is it?

if by asking a question i will be ISAed or sedition acted or SHAFTed or ANWARed or NAJIBed or BADAWIed then let it be.

or maybe asking questions may aroused interest for people to think, ofcourse we cant have any of that, if the people can think, they can vote, if they can vote, they wont vote bullshitters into government. maybe thats why the ISA and sedition act was made for, to jail people who ask questions that the government cant asnwer...

anonymous 2.47

Anonymous said...

anonymours, anonymous,

interesting discussions. Anyone care to sign in your names? or at lest a nickname?

Anonymous said...

Dear Guruji,
I had been reading your articles in this blog and admiring your revolutionary thinking. Hope this may change the atleast some of the people who are keep their mind open.
I hope to see you soon at Cyprus to deliver the message.

Anonymous said...

Dear Anonymous 6.28pm,

I am not a guruji....

We learn from each other.

Anonymous said...

Bro,

Maybe he is referring to me :) !

Anonymous said...

its ok guruji,

sivaji

Anonymous said...

Bro,

Dont tell me you mean consensus is no good? we need to have an agreement so that we do not fight with each other. Agreements are civilised thing to do. Even in companies, we reach a consensus on what objectives, strategies to employ.

Anonymous said...

Anonymous,

The purpose of the article is not whether consensus is good or bad as it may arguably be a "necessary evil" sometimes due to the social nature of humankind. The main point is on how consensus has a tendency to make us delusional and hence accept the false as the truth. That is the area I was hoping to generate discussion in.

mustaine said...

dear all..

may i share sumthing. I definitely agree with bro jahamy's post.from my reading of the Quran, I understand that a truth has got to do/comply with the absolute Law of Cause and Effect. this Law can only be invented by God Himself (Yasin:83).

Thus imho, a consensus clearly did not fall into this category coz the Effect due to the Cause (which is the consensus) is not absolute.meaning it has different impact based on different factor.

i.e: if a consensus agree that in order for a 'believer' to get more rewards from God, one can simply wear 'serban' and grow beard to collect as much rewards as possible, but it is well known that for a chinese who embrace 'Islam', they have a difficulty of growing beard because of their NATURAL TRAIT. thus, u'll rarely see a non-converted or converted chinese grow beard, which would cost them a lot of rewards!there are many more examples that can be highlighted, but i wouldn't waste my time on that.

Then it come to this; why would God imply such rules (Cause) and act unfairly to His creation if they were unable to attain His pleasure in the first place? or did God really INVENT THIS RULES or is it actually the one that belongs to the consensus? Yes, it is important to achieve a consensus but it shall be subject to error and changes according to the environment,culture, geographical barriers, etc, and is not binded for eternity.

Honestly, from what I understand, MALA'IKATUL just simply means the natural Law of Cause and Effect that God has created for us to utilize and benefit. Gravity, pI, algebra, e=mc2, and all other universal constants discovered by various historic figure throughout the centuries defines what MALA'KATUL realy meant. Just try to apply this and you'll see a fresh perspective and a more logical Quran. It is also subject to change based on human intellect itself and should suit according to current era.

It's not an imaginative creature flying around with large wings that could cover the earth or enter our house on Friday.

The one that create the consensus, I'm pretty sure that they are actually trying to play God without they themselves realizing it, putting their life in vain (Luqman:36). God knows best.

peace.