A Canticle for Leibowitz - Essay Example

?A Canticle for Leibowitz Walter Miller’s novel A Canticle for Leibowitz explores the spiritual and political occurrences that unfold over many centuries. The central thorough-put in the novel is the recognition that a group of priests ban together to preserve society’s knowledge in the face of a mainstream culture that seeks to move towards ‘simplification’. While Miller’s text presents a compelling narrative, it is perhaps most relevant in terms of the metaphorical critique it holds for contemporary life and the potentials of future existence. This response essay considers many of these elements and meditates on potential solutions to some of the most pressing challenges. There are a number of considerations related to Miller’s notion that religious inspiration can create a culture-saving alternative community. One first considers the nature of religious inspiration. In the text what largely appears to have occurred is that religion has rejected the location of what it once readily embraced – namely simplification. In these regards, one considers the church’s position in the Medieval Period as readily embracing a rejection of knowledge for more faith based modes of understanding; these modes of understanding created institutions that largely rejected scientific inquiry, particularly when it conflicted with religious doctrine. In this sense the nature of ‘religious inspiration’ would be recognized as actually rejecting knowledge. Still, in the Medieval period through the Renaissance and even into the contemporary world religion has operated to stringently retain its own culture in the face of scientific and ethical challenges from the outside world. It seems the notion of ‘religious inspiration’ as a culture-saving operation is perhaps best exemplified in the university system. In these regards, to a large extent the university system and the professors working therein constitute a culture that is partly in opposition to pervading trends of society. That is, the university system embraces concepts and values that reject the simple pursuit of profit for the pursuit of knowledge for the sake of knowledge. This is slightly a religious concept as, at least in Western society, the fundamental driving impact of change and development are profit incentives. Ultimately, then this attests to the nature of religious inspiration as a culture-saving entity. One considers whether Americans are tempted towards oversimplification. Particularly in regards to the aforementioned university establishment there is the consideration that much of mainstream society is opposed to intellectualism. Rather than holding intellectuals or scientists in ultimate esteem, society more readily embraces athletes or popular entertainers. Within mainstream media television programs, films, and popular novels project a culture that rejects intellectualism and positions intelligence or knowledge as counter to natural living. Newspapers and television news oftentimes are targeted towards the lowest common denominator. The cumulative recognition of these trends is that American society largely tempts its citizens towards oversimplification. Within the text the nuclear weapons engineer that founds the monastic order to preserve knowledge is later carved in a statue with a wry smile. To an extent this can be viewed as a metaphor on society as entirely ironic. That is, we all act like we know what we’re doing, but none of us really have any idea. To an extent it appears that this notion is correct in that much of what is termed functioning in society is based on the blind embrace of pervading cultural standards that the majority of us do not understand. Still, one considers that existentialism positions meaning as a personal choice. In these regards, there is self-reflexivity and authenticity in the way that humans go about living their lives. The question of meaning and understanding is related to questions of control and directing natural forces. The text asks, “Who will govern the use of power to control natural forces. Who will use it? To what end? How will you hold him in check?" (Miller, p. 224). While economic considerations are not addressed in the novel, one considers that it is not necessarily economics, but the power that financial wealth holds. In this sense the Western liberal democracies are generally recognized as containing the most wealth and thus the most military might. It seems then that control is ultimately rooted to this power; rather than a superior ethical structure or culture it is simple matter of financial and military might that directs ultimate control. Still, it seems that few would objectively embrace the notion that might and wealth should determine control in the world. Instead society needs to move towards universal laws and ethical standards. In many ways globalization has been positioned as unethical at its core as it necessitates that Western natures enforce their cultural standards on weaker nations. Rather than embracing these modes of cultural change it’s clear that we should instead move towards more equitable ways of create a truly global society. One considers that to a large degree many cornerstone religious and social myths posit a counter-movement towards pervading culture. These counter-cultures then unite under the notion of love. The question for uniting global society then becomes how to extend this love concept in a way that does not result in violent rejections, as in the case of terrorist attacks. To a large extent this notion of love needs to be established by abandoning traditional notions of culture for a view of humanity that looks to core uniting features. For instance, we all share a need for food, shelter, and emotional wellbeing. These considerations then would form foundational means of investigation into means of ethically linking disparate countries, cultures, and peoples. In conclusion, this essay has examined Miller’s ‘A Canticle for Leibowitz’. Within this context of investigation, the response has examined the nature of religious inspiration acting as a culture-saving entity. These reflections have led to considerations of oversimplification and argued that American society largely tends towards such processes. Notions of control and power are then examined and it is argued that current culture operates with the wealthiest and most powerful countries gaining control. As a response to these entities it is instead recognized that the world must move towards the embracement of universal concepts, such as love, based on the underlining human elements we all share. References Miller, Walter. A Canticle for Leibowitz. New York: Templeton. 1966. Read More