Materialism as an Ideology and Mindset

Materialism as an Ideology and Mindset "An increasingly mechanistic, fragmented, decontextualised world, marked by unwarranted optimism mixed with paranoia and a feeling of emptiness, has come about, reflecting, I believe, the unopposed action of a dysfunctional left hemisphere." — Iain McGilchrist Relevance of Materialism as a Mindset Nine Major Anti-Social Behaviors recently emerged since roughly 2000. A neuroscience study of morals revealed that several different processes and regions of the brain were involved. My argument is that the materialist mindset is a significant influence • Extreme Individualism and the Narcissism Epidemic: There has been a significant increase in narcissism in Western countries. Taken at face value, narcissism would be a form of extreme individualism. Then term was coined by David Hay. Theologian and scholar. Separately Kenneth Gergen and Virgilio Enriquez identify extreme individualism of western academia as an unhealthy "way of looking at the world" • Increase in Suicide: Suicide rates in the US have risen 36% since 2000 according to a CDC study, with one death every 11 minutes in 2021. • Violence against teachers "21,000 students and teachers harmed in attacks on schools around the world" (their world May 11, 2018) There has been a sharp increase in physical assaults on teachers in America and worldwide. In the US, a significant number of teachers experience some form of victimization, with verbal abuse being the most prevalent. "10% of US educators were physically assaulted in the previous year." (16 August 2022 The Conversation), Assaults on Healthcare Workers: Assaults on healthcare workers have increased exponentially, with government data showing they are five times more likely to experience workplace violence than other workers. • Hate Crimes: The FBI reported a record high in hate crimes in the US in 2021, with a huge increase in hate crimes against Asians, including 826 Filipinos being victim of hate crimes • Intentional Killings of Police: The number of law enforcement officers intentionally killed in the line of duty in the US reached its highest level since 9/11 in 2021. • Mass Shootings: The US has experienced a record number of mass shootings in 2023, with over 559 incidents. • Chinese Kindergarten Knife Slayings: China has seen a disturbing increase in knife attacks in schools, including several incidents at kindergartens, leaving 90 killed. In that knife slayings of small children are very abnormal, that would appear to rule out ordinary political influences – leaving social factors as the primary cause. • School Shootings: There is a correlation between hate speech and the increase in school shootings in the US, with over 800 children and teenagers killed in school shootings since 2015.