The primary barrier to individual self-improvement in the contemporary era is denoetization—the systemic and mechanical liquidation of the human capacity to judge. This “immense regression” is characterized by a “techné mindset” that reduces the complexity of a human life to “measurable utility” and data sets. Caught within the “technical abyss,” persons often succumb to “symbolic misery,” losing their sense of agency to automated behavioural controls and “historical forgetfulness”. To overcome these barriers, individuals must engage in a “reflective ascent” through Dr. Neville Buch’s Dynamic of Cognition (DoC). This process involves the practice of panser (thinking as caring), the application of “Active Nihilism” to purge institutional falsehoods, and the reclamation of Human Authorship to achieve Aristotelian flourishing (eudaimonia).
Contents
The Barriers to Thought: Navigating the Technical Abyss. 4
Dynamic of Cognition (DoC) Table: Barriers and Solutions. 6
How does ‘Writing’ function as a pacemaker for human social evolution?. 9
How does the ‘techné mindset’ impact the ‘holy spirit’ of scholarship?. 10
What is the relationship between ‘holy spirit’ and ‘Human Authorship’?. 11
What is the role of Desiderius Erasmus in Buch’s sociological matrix?. 12
How does ‘Devotio Moderna’ influence modern intellectual authorship?. 13
How do Jurgen Habermas’s theories support the ‘holy spirit’ of scholarship?. 15
https://www.academia.edu/166838873/The_Reflective_Ascent_Reclaiming_Human_Authorship_and_Cognition_with_postscript_questions_
Attached: The Reflective Ascent. Reclaiming Human Authorship and Cognition (with postscript questions)
Featured Image: Neville’s 30th Birthday when the career really took off, Hill End, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, 15 July 1991.
Neville Buch
Latest posts by Neville Buch (see all)
- Death in Life and Life in Death: Affective, Intellectual, and Ontological Dimensions of Human Mortality – October 2, 2026
- Psychological Symbol Cards – October 2, 2026
- The Washington Post Impact Report and American Studies – October 1, 2026