Cacophony and Symphony in Postmodernity
Cacophony and Symphony in Postmodernity Mario Kamenetzky Former Science and Technology Specialist with the World Bank1 The 20th century with its deep variations in lights and shadows saw the transition of modern democracies to postmodern, confusing, and often– chaotic structures. Meanwhile, the rest of the world was left behind, unable to evolve to the rational democratic forms, remaining under predominant magic and mythic patterns of behavior and belief. The century ended with a variety of signs giving advanced notice of another transition: from the divisive and dissonant post modernity to potentially more integrated and harmonizing socioeconomic structures. Symphonic and cacophonic musical styles can be used as pleasant metaphors to describe this transition from modernity to post modernity. Symphonies are products of the synergy of multiple instruments. They bring together the snapping of fingers and the voicing of sounds of the archaic structures, the magic of gypsy violins and tribal drums, and the mythical callings of Pan’s flute. Symphonic pieces are constructs of a consciousness operating under efficient forms of rational manifestation. The idea of composing the first symphony might have emerged from an intuition, but, afterwards, it had to be constructed through directive, discursive thought. In cacophonies, instruments are simultaneously played, but there is incongruity rather than harmony. If there is a conductor, he or she leads the expression of individual disagreements rather than making the different instruments converge in performing a given theme. It is the rational consciousness operating under its deficient, divisive form. Modern democracy was an attempt, under the guidance of an efficient rationality, to move away from authoritarian pied pipers. For centuries, the latter induced the masses to follow them by playing with the myth of having received the power for ruling their societies by divine right. Modern democracies were efforts by societies to compose symphonies with multiple political players rather than blindly follow the rules of single pied pipers. From within the ensemble of players would emerge temporary conductors to make all the performers coincide in a vision of society and world, a vision that will constantly adapt to progress in knowledge about nature and ourselves.
1 The author is an educator, engineer, and scientist by training, is a former Science and Technology Specialist with the World Bank. His book — The Invisible Player: Consciousness as the Soul of Economic, Social, and Political Life (Inner Traditions, 1999) — is an effort to integrate his previous academic, business, and economic development experiences with his more recent scholarly studies of Jean Gebser's work.
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