Time to Replace Materialism?

 All science and scientists works on models of understanding. These models of understanding change over time when new evidence comes about which contradicts the current model or the current model cannot fully accommodate the new knowledge. It does not matter how many or how powerful the followers of the previous model are.  For example for many centuries model of blood circulation proposed by Galen, a Greek physician was considered to be the truth. “According to the Galenic system, Blood flows through invisible pores from right side into the left side of the heart. Such an authority was Galen that the practice of medicine was built around his defective understanding of physiology for the next 1500 years. Galen's findings were first challenged in the 1200s by an Arab physician, Ibn-al-Nafiz, who insisted there were no

invisible passages from the right side to the left side of the heart and he also correctly traced the pulmonary circulation.  But Nafiz's writings were ignored until the twentieth century, even in the Arab world.” (https://www.aaas.org/circulatory-system-galen-harvey)

Like the models of Galen and Ibn-al-Nafiz we have two contradictory models of reality and how to organize a society based on this understanding of reality, one is material model and the other is spiritual/religious model. There are further subdivisions in these models like the religious model has Christianity, Hinduism, Islam and many others as concrete implementations of the broader idea of religion. Similarly the material model has communism, socialism, capitalism and many other isms as concrete implementations of the broader idea of materialism. I am going to concentrate only on Capitalism and Islam here for two reasons: 1) to keep this article short 2) with the collapse of USSR communism took a mortal beating and capitalism was left as winner of the materialist camp. On the spiritual side Christianity has the largest number of adherents but it is mostly a collection of feel good stories focused towards Kingdome in heaven. So realistically only Capitalism and Islam are the two competing ideologies in the modern world of ideas.

Here is a very, very brief understanding of material model or Materialism as it is formally known. Big bang happened, mater came into being in the form of particles, particles joined to form atoms, atoms joined to make molecules, molecules joined to form single cell organisms, single cell organisms evolved into multicellular organisms, multicellular organisms evolved into primates and finally primates evolved into humans. So we are “accidental collocations (arrangement) of atoms…. and destined to extinction in the vast death of the solar system” as Bertrand Russell said in A Free Man’s Worship. For the moment we ignore what was before Big bang and just take it for granted that it happened. The important thing is that now we are all here, you, me, Covid-19, the trees, the birds, the fish,…. and about 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 stars ( probably many, many more ) and planets, and black holes and…. Now that we are all here, what should we do? And more importantly how should we decide that what we are doing is correct? Your ideas may be different from my ideas but we are both rational and equally free to decide. Thus emerged philosophy of Enlightenment which stated that “Anything which cannot be understood by rational knowledge and the current status of sciences is meaningless or superstitious.”

Since we are again going to turn into cosmic dust when Covid-19 or something else gets us then the only logical thing to do, as individuals, is to prolong our existence as much as we can and make it as enjoyable as we can. And how do we do that? by fulfilling as many desires as we can. But almost all desires are material desires. Honestly think how many men would prefer a philosophical lecture to a Lamborghini and how many women would prefer a philosophical lecture to a diamond necklace, very few. The ruling elite of the present world are the global capitalists who promote this model so that they can accumulate ever more wealth and control humanity. Probably the most influential thinker in this regard was Sigmund Freud’s nephew Edward Bernays. He believed the mass mind was unreasonable, “bewildered masses,” as he called them, who must be made docile and distracted, and left to the rule of a specialty class …... He believed he could do this by “stimulating their inner desires and then sating them with consumer products.” To fulfill the desire for diamond necklace, Lamborghini etc require exploitation of more and more natural resources. The problem is that we are living on a finite planet which cannot sustain infinite desires. The idea of perpetual economic growth, which is required in capitalist model, is mathematically impossible in a finite system. It has brought us close to total destruction of our environment. For details read “Why capitalism is toxic to the environment?” By Professor Fred Magdoff who is professor emeritus of plant and soil science at the University of Vermont, USA.

On the economic side this model has produced eye popping wealth disparities. Here is a chart published by Forbes which makes it clear that the combined wealth of top three richest Americans is equal to the combined wealth of bottom 50% of the Americans, i.e the combined wealth of 3 people is equal to the combined wealth of approximately 175,000,000 people.

 (https://www.forbes.com/sites/noahkirsch/2017/11/09/the-3-richest-americans-hold-more-wealth-than-bottom-50-of-country-study-finds/?sh=44d364683cf8 )

Such disparity is huge contributor to mental problems. A recent research article published by MIT (https://economics.mit.edu/files/18694) makes it clear how negative economic shocks cause mental illness. Moreover if we are “destined to extinction in the vast death of the solar system” as stated by Bertrand Russell then at some point this whole life becomes meaningless. If I am my own master and free to decide then why not end this life at a point of my own choice?

There are many other issues with this model like sexual promiscuity, moral degradation etc. I won’t go into details of those, here is just a glimpse of how twisted society can become when the sole criteria is revenue generation. This is an article on how the German city of Cologne collects tax from prostitutes. (https://www.dw.com/en/sex-tax-helps-keep-cologne-up-and-running/a-2273814).

Now compare this model to the model of life proposed by Islam. It is clearly stated that we are not “accidental collocations” who are “destined to extinction in the vast death of the solar system”. On the contrary we have been created with a specific purpose “[He] who created death and life to test you [as to] which of you is best in deed - and He is the Exalted in Might, the Forgiving” (67-2)

On the economic side accumulation of wealth is highly discouraged and Quran’s view about wealth is “so that it will not be a perpetual distribution among the rich from among you (59-7)” To ensure that it does not happen “Allah has permitted sale, and prohibited riba (interest).(2-275)” Zakat, which is obligatory charity, is mentioned 82 times in Quran. It is not something which you might do if you feel like doing it but it is a must, cannot be pardoned. In December 2015 issue of Pakistan Development Review · Salman Ahmed Shaikh wrote “Our estimates suggest that approximately Zakat collection in Pakistan could reach 7 percent of total GDP and is sufficient for covering poverty gap in Pakistan.” This is about Pakistan, not a very rich country. You can imagine if you apply the same model in rich countries.

Regarding mental illness and other psychological problems “Satan threatens you with poverty and orders you to immorality, while Allah promises you forgiveness from Him and bounty. And Allah is all-Encompassing and Knowing. (2-268)”

Regarding wasteful, conspicuous consumption Quran states:

·        And be not excessive. Indeed, He does not like those who commit excess. (6-141)

·        and do not spend wastefully. Indeed, the wasteful are brothers of the devils, and ever has Satan been to his Lord ungrateful. (17-27)

·        And [they are] those who, when they spend, do so not excessively or sparingly but are ever, between that, [justly] moderate. (25-67)

·        O Children of Adam! Eat and drink but waste not by excess, for God loveth not the wasters” ( 7-31 ).

Prophet Muhammad (SAW) highlighted the fair distribution of natural resources in the following Hadith:

“Muslims have common share in three things: grass [pasture], water, and fire [fuel]” ( Musnad Vol. 2, Book 22 ).

Especially his instruction regarding wastage of water is “Do not waste even if performing ablution on the bank of a fast flowing large river” (Al Thirmidhi).”

I am not the only one saying that this capitalist model is unsustainable. The greatest western intellectual at the moment Professor Noam Chomsky said “It seems unlikely that civilization can survive the existing capitalism” ( UCD Philosophy Society Inaugural Lecture 2013). It is time that we realize that the capitalist model is a failed model and should be discarded as Galen’s model of blood circulation. Like Galen’s model it is being practiced and taught in all universities but that does not mean it is correct. The evidence is clear that it is taking not just humanity but all inhabitants of mother earth towards destruction. It is about time that we jettison our propaganda induced prejudices and look at the holistic model proposed by Islam. This suggestion is for both Muslims and non-Muslims.