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Utopian Confederation: The Human and Numinous Bases of Utopian Synergeticism
Explore the philosophical, ratiomystical, and thaumaturgical foundations of the 22nd-century Utopian Confederation.
How did humanity succeed in building an interplanetary society that has no laws, and in which every human being enjoys total freedom to choose his life’s optimal path – and yet all persons’ aspirations converge and synchronize perfectly, to create a clockwork hierarchy free from conflict or dissension?
The answer is to be found in the Utopian Synergeticist worldview, which unites six conceptual and practical frameworks that together constitute humanity’s shared way of understanding the universe. Each of these strands makes a unique contribution to the daily life of every Utopian and the ongoing development of the Confederation as a whole. This volume provides an in-depth investigation of the four strands that were historically the first to arise, thereby forming the core of the Utopian worldview. These bodies of knowledge are:
• Utopian Stoicism. This body of thought initially comprised certain elements of Ancient Greek Stoic philosophy; however, it has been transformed by generations of Utopian philosophers in a way that has rendered it more distinctly “Utopian.” It’s characterized by a recognition of virtue as the source of true happiness; of the desirability of attenuating positive emotions in order to disarm destructive emotions; of the inability of external agents to harm a human being; of the fundamental equality of all human persons; of the need to live in harmony with nature; of the importance of education and love – rather than laws – for building a society free from iniquity; and of the nobility of science. It also involves an appreciation of the logos, or immortal spark, that enlivens and gives order to each human being.
• Utopian humanism. This way of viewing the world draws from the humanism of Renaissance Europe, as adapted and transformed by Utopian thinkers. It emphasizes the central place of humanity in the cosmos; the wondrousness and unique value of every human being; the importance of an unending search for knowledge and truth; the understanding of human beings’ rights and responsibilities within the context of natural law; and the need to educate all human beings in a diverse range of disciplines, in order to form them as independent thinkers, creative problem-solvers, highly engaged professionals, and responsible citizens.
• Ratiomysticism. This understanding of the human being and set of psychic practices grew out of ancient Utopian forms of spirituality but were transformed during the time of the Utopian Emergence to become both fully consistent with orthodox Christian mystical theology and a unique manifestation of it. Ratiomysticism is characterized by a total integration of the numinous and intellectual parts of one’s spirit: as a consequence of its acknowledgment of the incompleteness of human knowledge, it combines an eminent rationality with an absolute belief in the existence of ultramundane realms and dynamics that lie beyond human understanding. It asserts the reasonableness of living in a state of boundless gratitude; promotes a uniformity of conviction amidst a diversity of forms of spiritual expression; and finds in mystical theology a sort of radical anthropology that serves as the foundational discipline underlying all sciences.
• Utopian thaumaturgy. This body of theory and practice is sometimes known as “wonderworking,” “miracle-working,” or “miraclecrafting.” It’s a manifestation of the fact that for 22nd-century Utopians, miracles are, in a very real sense, something that can be expected (and even relied upon) as a part of one’s everyday life. It draws on Utopians’ traditional cultivating of childlike wonder and their profound ability to accept at face value – and without the slightest awkwardness or embarrassment – the Evangel’s assurance that those who possess sufficient faith will find themselves working miracles. Its practice is guided by the Three Axioms of Thaumatology.
This volume is a dense text without illustrations; it includes a detailed, internally hyperlinked table of contents and an index. The volume doesn’t consider in detail the most recent two strands to be incorporated into Utopian Synergeticism – namely, hypophenomics (a distinctive approach to ontology and metaphysics whose centerpiece is Iridic Bubble Theory) and aetheromechany (which unifies all of the natural sciences as a form of “applied angelology”) – as those bodies of knowledge will be investigated in a separate book.
If one is seeking to understand the larger societal context within which Utopian Synergeticism exists, one may find helpful the previously published volume Utopian Confederation: From the Mall to the Stars. It covers the full spectrum of 22nd-century life – from the transplanetary extension of Utopian society to the key organizational structures of the pragmatic and metapsychic demeynes; the fields of cosmopraxis and axionomy; Utopian...
How did humanity succeed in building an interplanetary society that has no laws, and in which every human being enjoys total freedom to choose his life’s optimal path – and yet all persons’ aspirations converge and synchronize perfectly, to create a clockwork hierarchy free from conflict or dissension?
The answer is to be found in the Utopian Synergeticist worldview, which unites six conceptual and practical frameworks that together constitute humanity’s shared way of understanding the universe. Each of these strands makes a unique contribution to the daily life of every Utopian and the ongoing development of the Confederation as a whole. This volume provides an in-depth investigation of the four strands that were historically the first to arise, thereby forming the core of the Utopian worldview. These bodies of knowledge are:
• Utopian Stoicism. This body of thought initially comprised certain elements of Ancient Greek Stoic philosophy; however, it has been transformed by generations of Utopian philosophers in a way that has rendered it more distinctly “Utopian.” It’s characterized by a recognition of virtue as the source of true happiness; of the desirability of attenuating positive emotions in order to disarm destructive emotions; of the inability of external agents to harm a human being; of the fundamental equality of all human persons; of the need to live in harmony with nature; of the importance of education and love – rather than laws – for building a society free from iniquity; and of the nobility of science. It also involves an appreciation of the logos, or immortal spark, that enlivens and gives order to each human being.
• Utopian humanism. This way of viewing the world draws from the humanism of Renaissance Europe, as adapted and transformed by Utopian thinkers. It emphasizes the central place of humanity in the cosmos; the wondrousness and unique value of every human being; the importance of an unending search for knowledge and truth; the understanding of human beings’ rights and responsibilities within the context of natural law; and the need to educate all human beings in a diverse range of disciplines, in order to form them as independent thinkers, creative problem-solvers, highly engaged professionals, and responsible citizens.
• Ratiomysticism. This understanding of the human being and set of psychic practices grew out of ancient Utopian forms of spirituality but were transformed during the time of the Utopian Emergence to become both fully consistent with orthodox Christian mystical theology and a unique manifestation of it. Ratiomysticism is characterized by a total integration of the numinous and intellectual parts of one’s spirit: as a consequence of its acknowledgment of the incompleteness of human knowledge, it combines an eminent rationality with an absolute belief in the existence of ultramundane realms and dynamics that lie beyond human understanding. It asserts the reasonableness of living in a state of boundless gratitude; promotes a uniformity of conviction amidst a diversity of forms of spiritual expression; and finds in mystical theology a sort of radical anthropology that serves as the foundational discipline underlying all sciences.
• Utopian thaumaturgy. This body of theory and practice is sometimes known as “wonderworking,” “miracle-working,” or “miraclecrafting.” It’s a manifestation of the fact that for 22nd-century Utopians, miracles are, in a very real sense, something that can be expected (and even relied upon) as a part of one’s everyday life. It draws on Utopians’ traditional cultivating of childlike wonder and their profound ability to accept at face value – and without the slightest awkwardness or embarrassment – the Evangel’s assurance that those who possess sufficient faith will find themselves working miracles. Its practice is guided by the Three Axioms of Thaumatology.
This volume is a dense text without illustrations; it includes a detailed, internally hyperlinked table of contents and an index. The volume doesn’t consider in detail the most recent two strands to be incorporated into Utopian Synergeticism – namely, hypophenomics (a distinctive approach to ontology and metaphysics whose centerpiece is Iridic Bubble Theory) and aetheromechany (which unifies all of the natural sciences as a form of “applied angelology”) – as those bodies of knowledge will be investigated in a separate book.
If one is seeking to understand the larger societal context within which Utopian Synergeticism exists, one may find helpful the previously published volume Utopian Confederation: From the Mall to the Stars. It covers the full spectrum of 22nd-century life – from the transplanetary extension of Utopian society to the key organizational structures of the pragmatic and metapsychic demeynes; the fields of cosmopraxis and axionomy; Utopian...
152 pages, ebook
Published February 14, 2025
About the author
Matthew E. Gladden
13 booksMy research investigates the impacts of technological posthumanization on the way in which we structure organizations, social interaction, and the architecture of the spaces in which we live. Such realms include not only the physical spaces of buildings and the workplace but also cognitive, information, and experiential spaces — both ‘real’ and virtual.
Much of my work has explored the organizational and managerial implications of emerging technologies relating to social robotics, artificial general intelligence, artificial life, swarm and nanorobotics, ubiquitous computing, neural implants and neuroprosthetics, and augmented and virtual reality. I am particularly interested in the architectures of cyberspace and virtual worlds.
I generally employ qualitative approaches that attempt to synthesize methodologies from the spheres of contemporary critical and philosophical posthumanism, systems theory and cybernetics, and classical phenomenology. I both analyze ongoing developments and attempt to anticipate future dynamics of technological posthumanization.
My work has been published by The MIT Press, IOS Press, Routledge, and Ashgate and has appeared in peer-reviewed journals including The International Journal of Contemporary Management, Annales: Ethics in Economic Life, Informatyka Ekonomiczna, Frontiers in Neuroscience, and Creatio Fantastica. I've presented my research at more than a dozen international academic conferences in countries including the US, Poland, Denmark, and Croatia. My work has been cited in academic journals, books, doctoral dissertations, conference presentations, blogs, and other media.
Much of my work has explored the organizational and managerial implications of emerging technologies relating to social robotics, artificial general intelligence, artificial life, swarm and nanorobotics, ubiquitous computing, neural implants and neuroprosthetics, and augmented and virtual reality. I am particularly interested in the architectures of cyberspace and virtual worlds.
I generally employ qualitative approaches that attempt to synthesize methodologies from the spheres of contemporary critical and philosophical posthumanism, systems theory and cybernetics, and classical phenomenology. I both analyze ongoing developments and attempt to anticipate future dynamics of technological posthumanization.
My work has been published by The MIT Press, IOS Press, Routledge, and Ashgate and has appeared in peer-reviewed journals including The International Journal of Contemporary Management, Annales: Ethics in Economic Life, Informatyka Ekonomiczna, Frontiers in Neuroscience, and Creatio Fantastica. I've presented my research at more than a dozen international academic conferences in countries including the US, Poland, Denmark, and Croatia. My work has been cited in academic journals, books, doctoral dissertations, conference presentations, blogs, and other media.
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