This book review was written by Eugene Kernes
“The roots of division lie in
conflict, and sources of conflict are abundant in social life—ranging from
individual or group interests to race, ethnicity, nationality, wealth
disparities, gender, generation, region, and ideology. However, not all
conflicts lead to division. This is because societies have mechanisms in place
to mediate conflict. Division arises when these conflict resolution mechanisms
fail to function effectively. In democratic systems, such mechanisms include
negotiation and compromise, majority rule, and the decisions of formal
institutions such as courts.” – Joonhong Park, Introduction, Page 9
“In modern representative democracies, social division is
marked by ideological confrontation. Each faction operates according to its own
goals, and the formal or informal system of logic that underpins these goals is
called an ideology. Members of a community become part of a faction by
accepting and choosing a particular ideology as a matter of personal
conviction. Factions are driven by the ideological alignment of their members
and engage in goal-oriented movements based on that shared commitment.” – Joonhong
Park, Introduction, Page 11
“Humans adopted a strategy of forming groups to increase
their chances of survival in unpredictable natural environments and against
threatening animals, eventually establishing societies and building
civilizations. Groups developed sustained and ongoing cooperative mechanisms to
address collective challenges such as hunting and adapting to unpredictable
changes in nature. When presented with a collective task, a group mobilizes an
appropriate level of resources to initiate movement toward its resolution.” – Joonhong
Park, Chapter 2: The Movement and Resistance of Groups, Page 29
Is This An Overview?
Humans formed groups as a method of overcoming the ecosystem
and adapting to uncertain situations.
But, individuals and groups faced competition from other individuals and
groups. Groups are more effective at
competing for resources than individuals alone.
Individuals within a group create synergy, groupness, in which they
become more than the sum of the members.
Creating an incentive for individuals to apply effort into social
relations, over other tasks. Social
relations that enabled factions, a method of organization, to overcome those
perceived as opponents. People conform
to the group, and the group favors loyalty while discouraging opposition. Members develop cognitive biases that favor
the group.
Conflicts between people, between groups are abundant but
there are arbitration methods to prevent conflicts from escalating. Division arises when conflict resolution
mechanisms fail to function. Social
division is unique to democratic systems, for democracies contain a diverse set
of people who can split into opposing factions rather than a conflict between
leaders and group members. In
democracies, social division is based on ideological confrontation. Factions are formed to overcome goals, to
overcome social conflicts. Goals that
are justified by an ideology.
Factions formed to find a resolution to a situation, with
other factions and any resistance become the opposition. Members of the opposing factions become
homogenized, as their individual complexity is perceived away. Even with democratic states, factions seek to
retain power and control. What prevents
democratic states from becoming totalitarian, is the presence of sufficient
resistance. The more threats and
confusion there are, the more vulnerable social and political systems
become.
Caveats?
Various psychology, sociology, and
political ideas are represented in the book.
But, there are simplifications being made about democratic systems and
human history.
