What is a Hierarchical Worldview?

I used to suggest to my philosophy students that the prevailing hierarchical worldview is so ingrained in people today, “I can ask you any question about the hierarchical worldview and you can give me the accepted answer, even if you do not agree with it.”

Starting with the simplest of questions, they were asked, “Which is superior a tree or a human being.” Obviously, they would all answer, “a human being.” After some further questions, which they answered with ease, they were asked a more subtle question: “Which is superior, an orthopaedic surgeon or a brain surgeon?” Even though there exists no acceptable argument for these positions, most would answer the brain surgeon. I fund that the hierarchical consciousness was intrenched in each of students who took these classes held over a thirty-five-year period. (They were also asked a contrary question, “Can you give me an argument that a tree is superior to a human being?” And so, it went.)

In this context, a hierarchical worldview is a way of looking at what is going on, from a fundamental social and natural structure, in which the society and the world are believed to be composed. In this case, it is from a hierarchical set of positions or rankings on which each person can be placed. It is not just societies that are hierarchical; but also, all of nature, including inanimate things like rocks which are placed at the bottom of the rankings.

The significance of a worldview is that we make many decisions that are consistent with the accepted beliefs and values of that worldview. In this case, we maintain a hierarchical class structure without seriously questioning it. In terms of inequality, is dire poverty and extreme wealth accumulation ethical or moral? And to what extent does extreme wealth reduce the democracy as it becomes an oligarchic democracy?

When the wealthiest, the ‘one percent’ have amassed such obscene levels of wealth that we are seeing today, their political influence also rises to the extent that they can influence election results, as well as, tax legislation so that their continuously increasing wealth is stabilised. Democracies have slid into oligarchic democracies. Questions arise, “Are these democracies real democracies?”, “Can the necessary changes be made that climate destruction demands within this hierarchical worldview, or must the worldview be changed?”

Because of the increasing inequality, along with an economic system that reinforces and stabilizes extreme wealth for the few, democracies have within them oligarchical characteristic of influence and power.

In an oligarchical democracy, there must be a balance between oligarchy and democracy itself. Aristotle warned us of this over two thousand years ago. However, as the oligarchs gain more and more persuasive power over the politicians, democracy will effectively mean less and less until it becomes mere shadow of what it was meant to be.

One question stands out, ”Can we make the necessary changes, social, economic and scientific, given the warnings of the climate disasters to come?”