The University of Southern Mississippi The Aquila Digital Community Dissertations Summer 8-2015 Philosopher's Stone: The Faustian Geist of Development Salikyu Sangtam University of Southern Mississippi Follow this and additional works at: https://aquila.usm.edu/dissertations Part of the Philosophy of Mind Commons, Political Science Commons, Social and Cultural Anthropology Commons, and the Sociology of Culture Commons Recommended Citation Sangtam, Salikyu, "Philosopher's Stone: The Faustian Geist of Development" (2015). Dissertations. 126. https://aquila.usm.edu/dissertations/126 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by The Aquila Digital Community. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations by an authorized administrator of The Aquila Digital Community. For more information, please contact [email protected]. The University of Southern Mississippi PHILOSOPHER’S STONE: THE FAUSTIAN GEIST OF DEVELOPMENT by Salikyu Sangtam Abstract of a Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate School of The University of Southern Mississippi in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy August 2015 ABSTRACT PHILOSOPHER’S STONE: THE FAUSTIAN GEIST OF DEVELOPMENT by Salikyu Sangtam August 2015 The present study juxtaposes scientific rationality with polyphonic rationality in respect to societal development. This is done to illuminate how scientific rationality provides a narrow and truncated view of development. In order to explicate the exclusion of polyphonic rationalities/knowledges in favor of scientific rationality, several development scholarships are examined along with an episode of developmental scheme and two episodes of development programs. This is done to expound (note: ‘→’ = influences) how scientific rationality → scholarships → organizational/institutional schemes, such as the MDGs → actual applications of development schemes, such as transmigration and compulsory villagization. The present inquest, more importantly, propounds for polyphonic knowledges that accord diverse modes of thought a place in social inquests, thus affording a better recourse than scientific rationality that blatantly disregards the contextual particularities of human society. ii COPYRIGHT BY SALIKYU SANGTAM 2015 The University of Southern Mississippi PHILOSOPHER’S STONE: THE FAUSTIAN GEIST OF DEVELOPMENT by Salikyu Sangtam A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate School of The University of Southern Mississippi in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Approved: __________________________________________ Dr. Marek D. Steedman, Committee Chair Associate Professor, Political Science, International Development, and International Affairs __________________________________________ Dr. David L. Butler, Committee Member Professor, Political Science, International Development, and International Affairs __________________________________________ Dr. Robert J. Pauly Jr., Committee Member Associate Professor, Political Science, International Development, and International Affairs _________________________________________ Dr. Joseph J. St. Marie, Committee Member Associate Professor, Political Science, International Development, and International Affairs _________________________________________ Dr. Karen S. Coats Dean of the Graduate School August 2015 DEDICATION This study is a dedication to Ludwig van Beethoven. Even though residing in Elysium, his works no doubt stirred in me a sentience to see the inherent meaning in every human experience and, thus, appreciate humanity for what it is and as it is. v ACKNOWLEDGMENT I would like to express my sincerest thanks and gratitude to my committee chair, Dr. Marek Steedman, and members of the committee, Dr. David Butler, Dr. Robert Pauly, and Dr. Joseph St. Marie, for their munificent advice and invaluable patience, without which this dissertation would not have been possible. I would also like to convey a special thanks to Dr. Morgan Rempel of the Department of Philosophy at the University of Southern Mississippi for our invaluable discussions enabling me to see things in a new light and, thus, in the process refreshing my memories of ideas that long ago went into hiding. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT………………………………………………………………………………ii AKNOWLEDGEMENTS………………………………………………………………..iii CHAPTER I. PROLEGOMENA………………………………………………………...1 The Prolepsis Why Polyphony? The Essentiality of an Eccentric To Critique The Definitions II. RITUALS OF DEVELOPMENT………………………………………..54 Overture The Root: Primacy of Scientific Rationality Scientific Rationality and Institutions Scientific Rationality and Economy III. DEVELOPMENT AS CULTURAL ATROPHY………………………128 The Episodes Millennium Development Goals Transmigration in Indonesia Villagization in Tanzania Scientific Rationality and Societal Atrophy IV. THE POLYPHONY…………………………………………………….211 Polyphonic Thoughts Societies Think Differently Societies Are What They Are V. THE FAUSTIAN GEIST………………………………………….........302 Verstehen: Understanding Theory-less Philosopher’s Stone and the Perennial Manifestation of the Faustian Geist REFERENCES…………………………………………………………………………330 vii 1 CHAPTER I PROLEGOMENA The Prolepsis The title, Philosopher’s Stone: The Faustian Geist of Development, may give the impression that this study is against every kind of development. This is certainly not the case. Firstly, let us clarify what is meant by the term development, for it will often be alluded to in this query. Development is a generic term employed to describe developed society’s approach to the traditional, developing world. It is a formal, scientific field of study that serves as the principal reference point from which to methodically approach traditional societies for the purposes of book learning, observation, and practical application. It is this idea of development the present study is against, not development in and of itself. Of course, this is not to reason that the edifice of development as a discipline is nothing more than an assortment of fables; besides, it must be more than that, for there must be something formidable behind it that enables particular forms of idea to become a source of pedagogic erudition in universities, books, think-tanks, and so forth. Rather than it being some motley assemblage of fables, it is a body of theories and practices produced to be a system of thought and knowledge that filters developed societies’ understanding of the not so developed. What is more, the discipline of development is used, in this inquest, as a paradigm to signify any undertaking claiming to transform human conditions through scientific rationality—engineering human/societal happiness, material riches, civilized lives, etc. It is imperative to remember that the present inquest is not against development, development in a sense that enables a society to realize its innate possibilities from 2 within. Development is an essential, fundamental requisite to all living things and environments, including societies. From the smallest of cells to humans to natural environments, development constitutes the nature of things, the splendid manifestation and actualization of the innate entelechy of every organic entity. Development is not something optional; it is a creative dynamism inherent in the organic world; it is a continuous process, process suggesting progress, and progress towards realization of an entity’s entelechy. Certainly, for Aristotle, purposive changes, i.e. the realization of an entity’s potentiality is the most pervasive fact of nature.1 The realization of an entity’s innate possibilities is qualitative, not quantitative: it is a progress towards purposive qualitative changes for the organic entity, i.e. actualization of its nature—not quantitative growth. What is more, the actualization of an organic entity’s inherent potentials do not happen overnight, it is sometimes an excruciatingly slow process—look at, for instance, life on earth, even now, after aeons, some organic entities have still not realized their fullest potential. In other words, development requires realization of itself from within, i.e. subjective, without intrusions from the outside. Besides, disciplines in biology have shown how disruptions from the outside impede the full development of organic entities. In terms of society, it means, every society has its own intrinsic entelechies which are to be actualized in the most harmonious ways possible; it means development in qualitative aspects—harmony, conviviality, communion, coexistence, togetherness, fellowship, etc.—of society, not quantitative aspects—per capita income, number of cars, televisions, laptops, electronics, amount of capital wealth, degrees of industrialization, urbanizations, 1 Aristotle, “Physics,” in The Complete Works of Aristotle: The Revised Oxford Translation, ed. Jonathan Barnes, vol. 1 (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1984), 2.1. 3 democratizations, capitalizations, globalizations, material comforts, monetization of society, nor economic productions, consumptions, etc. As organic entities take lengthy periods of time to realize their innate entelechy, likewise, society will take prolong periods of time to realize its potentials. Just as an organic entity’s development is impeded through outside interference, similarly, society’s development is thwarted when there is interference from the outside. More importantly, regarding human society, and man, in general, development does not mean manipulating nature for the advantage of man. Instead,