Politeness and Offence: 1 of 3 in “From Offence to Understanding Essay Series”
From Offence to Understanding Essay Series: There are moments of time when politeness is not a virtue because it is not just. Offence was necessarily committed to challenge unhealthy thinking. It was the virtue of candour. Fools deflect from this argument by holding to literalism, and unaware of significant differences between ancient and modern literalism. Once a person cannot let go of literalism their loyalty to an institution is transmuted into institutional arrogance.
https://www.academia.edu/164502757/Politeness_and_Offence
PDF File: Politeness and Offence
Dr Neville Buch ABN: 86703686642
Abstract
The following essay examines the ethical imperative of candour as a disruptive virtue that challenges the “symbolic misery” and “institutional bullshit” of the 21st century. It argues that social politeness, while generally a stabilizing force, becomes unjust when it serves as a “veil of intentions” to mask systemic falsehoods or institutional arrogance. Drawing on the Socratic tradition of the elenchus, the analysis explores how committing offense can function as a “pharmacological” cure (pharmakon) to shock the subject out of “double ignorance” and toward a “humanistic ascent”. By distinguishing between the reflective depth of ancient thought and the reductive nature of modern literalism, the essay demonstrates that genuine truthfulness and sincerity are the “ultimate supports” required to reclaim human authorship from the “coldness of pure calculation”.
Ancient and Modern Literalism: 2 of 3 in “From Offence to Understanding Essay Series”
https://www.academia.edu/164502825/Ancient_and_Modern_Literalism
PDF File: Ancient and Modern Literalism
Dr Neville Buch ABN: 86703686642
Abstract
The following analysis explores the intellectual failure inherent in modern literalism, which functions as a defensive mechanism to deflect the humanistic “argument of compassion”. It posits that the “fool”—characterized by an inability to distinguish between ancient symbolic literature and modern fundamentalist literalism—succumbs to a “mechanical techné mindset” that reduces the complexity of human existence to instrumental calculation. By rejecting the “unthought” prosthetic nature of the human and falling into Historical Forgetfulness, literalism dismantles the foundations of human authorship. To overcome this “immense regression,” the essay argues for a “reflective ascent” that reinvents thinking (penser) as caring (panser), restoring comprehension through a nuanced, interdisciplinary, and empathetic engagement with history.
Institutional Arrogance: 3 of 3 in “From Offence to Understanding Essay Series”
https://www.academia.edu/164502894/Institutional_Arrogance
PDF File: Institutional Arrogance
Dr Neville Buch ABN: 86703686642
Abstract
The following essay explores the ethical and cognitive dangers inherent in modern literalism, which serves as a catalyst for the degeneration of institutional loyalty into institutional arrogance. It posits that a person’s inability to distinguish between ancient symbolic interpretation and modern fundamentalist literalism results in a “mechanical techné mindset” that reduces truth to static, quantifiable facts. This cognitive regression leads to Historical Forgetfulness, wherein the subject systematically banishes the historical contingency of their concepts. Consequently, the authentic “I” is submerged into a state of “relative inauthenticity,” and institutional commitment is replaced by an unreflective orthopraxy that prioritizes the preservation of the “established order” over noetic diversity and critical inquiry. To overcome this “immense regression,” the analysis advocates for a humanistic ascent through the POLICE model and the practice of panser (thinking as caring), restoring the integrity of human authorship.
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Neville Buch
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