Ed: Pluralism or Religion

Ed is starting its deep dive into its role as a pluralistic coherer or religious indoctrinator. Religious indoctrination seems to be its historical role (up until the end of the enlightenment era). There's normally a pacing and leading which happens between religion and governance (see Norenzayan's Big Gods). For a while governance adopts the lessons learned by religion, but does so in a more pluralistic way that enables group size increase or other adaptive group traits. For a while religion leads. Right now Ed is ostensibly determining (along with society) whether -everyone is equal under the law, or -some people are more equal than others (for the sake of equality of outcomes). Applied Critical Theory certainly takes the latter, Orwellian approach. Recently it seems like fricition within Alberta's Teachers Association is just starting to reflect this dichotomoy. The Orange bubble urban areas are heading one way, while rural venues are heading the other. There are structural reasons why urban centers gain ideological dominance within large institutions. This seems to be a historical "law". But this tendency isn't neutral, or "progressive". It simply reflects the cultural evolution cycles Peter Turchin describes in his Secular Cycles work and Cliodynamics. It leads to periodic revolutions, purges, and societal collapses. Fighting these cult like Trosky tendencies is not easy. By the time these behaviours become non-ignorable, instituitional technocracies and structures are largely monopolized by ideological conformity. Self selective processes gradually tip the balance toward homogeneity, and it is very rare that enough counter-balancing momemtum can be generated to bring things back into balance before over-reach leads to collapse. We'll have to see where things end up in the West. My guess is that much of US education is in serious trouble. Canada's pluralistic nature (and lower population) may give it enough breathing room to survive. But, here in Alberta at least, there are going to be some nasty fireworks as the Urban progressive minority start going head to head with the sleepy conservative base.