Edward Fox Kunin

  Edward Kunin - Egalite! - Why Not Utopia?

Edward Fox Kunin-Fox was my mother's maiden name. She may have been a feminist of sorts, but I doubt it. My sister, following our mother's example, turned her maiden name into her son's middle name. The custom apparently deals only with sons. My sister was five years older than me, but her maiden name wasn't "Fox". Her first child was a girl, so she waited until her son was born to make "Kunin" his middle name. Don't know if my uncle (my mother's brother) had my grandmother's maiden name as his middle name.

Date of Birth: November 17, 1928 - Scorpio - As for the number of years it surprises me too. Occupation: Lawyer. A dirty job, but someone's got to do it Religion: Born Jewish. Was devout once, but don't believe any more. Credentials of sorts: Graduated Antioch College, 1952 Majored in Business Administration. Minored in Philosophy. Prefer philosophy. Graduated New York University School of Law 1955

Edward Kunin and the collective image psychology

I did not understand, when I wrote my book, it would be so difficult to change minds especially since I deal in philosophy, not science. In retrospect my foolishness surprises me. Not only have I tried to change my mind over the years with midling success, but I know that people believe what they want no matter how precarious the philosophical underpinnings. We don't know what happens after death, but because heaven sounds nice, we turn collective desire into absolute truth. We even kill those impertinent enough to suggest we may not know what we are talking about.

Putting eternity aside, our present situation seems so lethal, what with pollution, global warming, teen murderers and suicides, kids on Ritalin, the disappearance of frogs, one would think any new perception would be welcome. Can we continue as we are indefinitely? I don't think so, though prophets of doom have predicted the end for centuries and humanity survived them all.

The few who read my book and reported back were positive. One e-mailed that he found Chapter 8 (Representative Democracy) "brilliant and perceptive". He asked me to describe the utopia I envision. I told him Edward Bellamy did it in "Looking Backward". For details he should read that book. Turned out he didn't want a homework assignment. He replied life is too short to drink bad wine and went elsewhere. People I've met online aren't ready to work together. They say if I want to create an Internet Users Group, I should. If they like it they'll join. I want shared responsibility. They don't. At least not yet.

Robert Downey Jr. is a case in point. He has it all, but he can't live without risking everything. Jail, humiliation, having to admit to well meaning friends he doesn't know why he's so self destructive, none of it keeps him from doing drugs in a manner that insures his arrest. He is an unwitting metaphor for humanity. We can have it all, anything we imagine, but we risk everything for the immediate gratifications of petroleum based technology.

So that's where things stand. I'm disappointed my ideas haven't been received as brilliant and perceptive but have no regrets about travelling my lonely road. I have no idea how to persuade you we can take steps. We're not dead yet and we may be on the cusp of a great explosion of human creativity. It's our call, just as what you decide is your responsibility. I'd like you to spring for a copy of my book or read it on line if you have the patience, but don't decide it's easier or more reasonable to do nothing. Although, that's your call too.

Online

Book chapters

1. Chapter - Theory Overview
2. Chapter - Self Image Psychology
3. Chapter - Collective Image Psychology
4. Chapter - Sources of Collective Inferiority: Religion
5. Chapter - Sources of Collective Inferiority: Sex
6. Chapter - Sources of Collective Inferiority: Parents
7. Chapter - Pollution and Other Terrors of our Times
8. Chapter - More Problems: Representative Democracy
9. Chapter - More Problems: William Toste
10. Chapter - Embracing the Future: Television
11. Chapter - Embracing the Future: Computers
12. Chapter - Embracing the Future: Floating
13. Chapter - Embracing the Future: Scenarios
14. Chapter - Embracing the Future: Utopia

     

    THE HIGHEST PERFECTION OF SOCIETY IS FOUND IN THE UNION OF ORDER AND ANARCHY  
    Pierre Joseph Proudhon  

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