4.4.3 |
THE FREEDOM NOT TO SUPPORT POLARITY OR EXCLUSIVITY |
Freedom is not an ultimate doctrinal value in itself. It may
be derived as a lower-level value from neutrality and inclusivity,
but neither of these ultimate values can be replaced by it.
Inclusivity, for instance, may entail intrinsic liberty, but
intrinsic liberty (even liberty in general) does not entail as
much as inclusivity does. From the inclusivist angle freedom is
merely the absence of the most severe forms of direct exclusionism,
that is, the bare minimum on the way to the inclusiveness
of total nondiscrimination. So denominational freedom is the
bare minimum on the way to denominational inclusivity; religious
freedom is even much less than that. A country with denominational
freedom can still be very religionistic, for instance.
The state will in such a country not injure or imprison nonreligious
people, or people of another religion than the
established one, but it will confront them, day and night, with
the institutions and symbols of religion, or of the favored
religion, nevertheless. Unlike denominational freedom, both
denominational inclusivity and the right to personhood forbid
states and other inter- or non-ideological agencies to support
and perpetuate one particular type of denominationalism, let
alone to indoctrinate citizens with it. Hence, governments and
people who speak of "respect for religious freedom" rather than
for "denominational impartiality", because they prefer so or do
not know better, have still a hell of a long way to go.
That exclusivist institutions and symbols are in actual fact
but too often imposed upon everyone by the state or community in
which people live is very regrettable. Yet, this is no reason
whatsoever to voluntarily contribute to the perpetuation of
their existence. Thus more than 50% in a 'democratic' country,
or less than 50% in an undemocratic country, may foist a
monarchist system in which one 'man' and 'his' family are
granted extensive privileges, onto the whole of society. While
they may fancily style the members of that chosen family "king",
"queen", "prince", or what have you, everyone retains the
extrinsic freedom not to participate in the practise --in
their practise-- of referring to people in exclusivist terms.
If one calls every other person in one's country who one does
not know intimately by 'er
surname, then one shall call every person of that particular family who one
does not know intimately by 'er surname. No doubt, the use of monarchist or
aristocratic titles is part of the perpetuation of familially
exclusivist practises and institutions.
In a majoritarian polity 51% can 'democratically' impose any
system on the rest of society, but no majority or minority can
force individual citizens to believe in exclusivism and to talk
in an irrelevantist fashion, least of all among themselves.
Those who do that nevertheless voluntarily perpetuate the
exclusivist institution. (Under a dictatorial regime one could,
perhaps, style every male "Prince Such" and every female
"Princess So" thus draining titles like these of all exclusiveness.)
In an undemocratic country (including countries with a
disproportional representation) 49% or less can force every
citizen to pay taxes for the maintenance of a monarchist,
religionist or party-political totalitarian system, however
meretricious or obnoxious; but no 49%, even no 67% or more, can
force neutral-inclusivist citizens to change their thoughts
or to alter their language. Those who do in spite of this
have their thoughts or their language knowingly colored by
exclusivist, political or communal institutions do not care
about equality and inclusivity, and do not deserve it.
Not only can people not be forced to change their thoughts
and language, they cannot be forced either to provide information
which is not pertinent to the issue concerned, even when
legitimate. All of us have the extrinsic freedom to refuse to
answer any question which is discriminatory in that the information
is not relevant to the subject, or to the listeners,
spectators or readers in general.
It is true that people do not only have the extrinsic freedom
not to perpetuate, and participate in, exclusivist or extremist
undertakings and institutions, but that they do also have the
extrinsic right to do this. The point is, however, that those
who want, for example, to speak of themselves or others in
exclusive terms, and who want to have themselves financially
supported or want to support others merely because of something
like their ancestry or marriage ties, should establish and
maintain such an exclusivist institution themselves. For their
money they have the extrinsic right to do that, but they should
not involve the state and other citizens in such a major
manifestation of familial favoritism.
On the whole we as adherents of the DNI will certainly have
more freedom than the adherents of most religious and political
ideologies. Nonetheless, we do not have the intrinsic freedom to
participate in, or to perpetuate, systems which are unneutralistic,
exclusivistic or supernaturalistic. Neutral-inclusivity has
to be attained or furthered in the first place by making use of
our extrinsic right to noncollaboration and noncooperation. In
the political domain this implies before all noncooperation with
fascism, party-political totalitarianism, state religionism and
monarchism. Those who collaborate and cooperate with people
striving for these and other forms of polarity and exclusivity
promote polarity and exclusivity themselves.
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