Dehumanisation

There is no doubt that technical automation, especially artificial intelligence, accelerates the psychosocial uniformity and weakening of the individual within mass society. At the same time, the emergence of heightened subjectivity creates a new, explosively paradoxical image of humanity. Among other factors, ten societal dynamics contribute to a depowerment of humans and raise concerns about the loss of traditional cultural techniques and competencies (the list corresponds to chapters in this book):
1) Educational overprotection and permissiveness; 2) Egalitarianism and educational leveling; 3) Hedonism and a utopia of ease; 4) Puerilism and a craze for leisure; 5) De-intellectualization and linguistic poverty; 6) Skepticism towards science and discourse; 7) Narcissism and irrationalism; 8) Authoritarianism and militarism; 9) Racism and social hostility; 10) Cultural indifference and travel colonialism.

Autonomous agency, creative intellectuality, and joy of life are among the building blocks of human identity. The promotion of these aspects increasingly relies on self-determined educational work. Today's politics and other socially relevant discourse areas must be measured by how effectively they counteract the decline of self-initiated action and the erosion of educational efforts.

Dr. Gerhard Oberlin works as a freelance scholar in literature, culture, and sports science, residing in Tübingen. In addition to numerous articles in international academic journals, he has published several books.