From 85208da6d2baf40f7e30e74c63dcc4b7e3686e09 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Silvio Rhatto Date: Mon, 2 Sep 2019 22:05:05 -0300 Subject: Updates books/sociology/secrecy --- books/sociology/secrecy.md | 281 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++- 1 file changed, 278 insertions(+), 3 deletions(-) (limited to 'books') diff --git a/books/sociology/secrecy.md b/books/sociology/secrecy.md index c1db217..3cf49ba 100644 --- a/books/sociology/secrecy.md +++ b/books/sociology/secrecy.md @@ -1,4 +1,6 @@ -[[!meta title="The Sociology of Secrecy"]] +[[!meta title="The Sociology of Secrecy and of Secret Societies"]] + +By Georg Simmel. ## Excerpts @@ -32,7 +34,6 @@ knowledge developing with reference to the other party. The investigation should finally proceed in the opposite direction; - [...] given by the total relationship of the knower to the known. @@ -478,7 +479,6 @@ more decisive possibility of remaining secret. While secrecy, therefore, is a sociological ordination which - [...] As a general proposition, the secret society @@ -487,3 +487,278 @@ the violent pressure of central powers. This is true, not alone in political relations, but in the same way within the church, the school, and the family. + + [...] + + Thus the secret society + cotinterbalances the separatistic factor which is peculiar to, every + secret by the very fact that it is society. + + [...] + + lating will; for growth from within, constructive purposefulness. + This rationalistic factor in their upbuilding cannot express itself + more distinctly than in their carefully considered and clear-cut + architecture. I cite as example the structure of the Czechic secret + order, Omlaidina, which was organized on the model of a group + of the Carbonari, and became known in consequence of a judicial + process in I893. The leaders of the Omladina are divided into + "thumbs" and "fingers." In secret session a "thumb" is chosen + by the members. He selects four "fingers." The latter then + choose another " thumb," and this second " thumb " presents himn- + self to the first "thumb." The second "thumb" proceeds to + choose four more "fingers"; these, another "thumb;" and so + the articulation continues. The first " thumb " knows all the + other " thumbs," but the remaining " thumbs " do not know each + other. Of the "fingers" only those four know each other who + are subordinate to one and the same "thumb." All transactions + + [...] + + of the Omladina are conducted by the first "thumb," the " dicta- + tor." He informs the other "thumbs" of all proposed under- + takings. The "thumbs" then issue orders to their respective + subordinates, the "fingers." The latter in turn instruct the mem- + bers of the Omnladina assigned to each. The circumstance that + the secret society must be built up, from its base by calculation and + conscious volition evidently affords free play for the peculiar + passion which is the natural accompaniment of such arbitrary + processes of construction, such foreordaining programs. All + schematology - of science, of conduct, of society - contains a + reserved power of compulsion. It subjects a material which is + outside of thought to a form which thought has cast. If this is + true of all attempts to organize groups according to a priori prin- + ciples, it is true in the highest degree of the secret society, which + does not grow, which is built by design, which has to reckon with + a smaller quantum of ready-made building material than any + despotic or socialistic scheme. Joined to the interest in making + + [...] + + The secret society must seek to create among the cate- + gories peculiar to itself, a species of life-totality. Around the + nucleus of purposes which the society strongly emphasizes, it + therefore builds a structure of formulas, like a body around a + soul, and places both alike under the protection of secrecy, because + only so can a harmonious whole come into, being, in which one + part supports the other. That in this scheme secrecy of the + external is strongly accentuated, is necessary, because secrecy is + not so much a matter of course with reference to these super- + ficialities, and not so directly demanded as in the case of the real + interests of the society. This is not greatly different from the + situation in military organizations and religious communities. + The reason why, in both, schematism, the body of forms, the fixa- + tion of behavior, occupies so large space, is that, 'as a general pro- + position, both the military and the religious career demand the + wvhole man; that is, each of them projects the whole life upon a + special plane; each composes a variety of energies and interests, + from a particular point of view, into a correlated unity. The + secret society usually tries to do the same. + + + [...] + + The secret society must seek to create among the cate- + gories peculiar to itself, a species of life-totality. Around the + nucleus of purposes which the society strongly emphasizes, it + therefore builds a structure of formulas, like a body around a + soul, and places both alike under the protection of secrecy, because + only so can a harmonious whole come into, being, in which one + part supports the other. That in this scheme secrecy of the + external is strongly accentuated, is necessary, because secrecy is + not so much a matter of course with reference to these super- + ficialities, and not so directly demanded as in the case of the real + interests of the society. This is not greatly different from the + situation in military organizations and religious communities. + The reason why, in both, schematism, the body of forms, the fixa- + tion of behavior, occupies so large space, is that, 'as a general pro- + position, both the military and the religious career demand the + wvhole man; that is, each of them projects the whole life upon a + special plane; each composes a variety of energies and interests, + from a particular point of view, into a correlated unity. The + secret society usually tries to do the same. One of its essential + characteristics is that, even when it takes hold of individuals only + + [...] + +Counterpart of the official world, detachment from larger structures in +which it's contained (the next level of recursion): + + Moreover, through such formalism, + just as through the hierarchical structure above discussed, the + secret society constitutes itself a sort of counterpart of the official + world with which it places itself in antithesis. Here we have a + case of the universally emerging sociological norm; viz., struc- + tures, which place themselves in opposition to and detachment + from larger structures in which they are actually contained, + nevertheless repeat in themselves the forms of the greater struc- + tures. Only a structure that in some way can count as a whole + is in a situation to hold its elements firmly together. It borrows + the sort of organic completeness, by virtue of which its members + are actually the channels of a unifying life-stream, from that + greater whole to which its individual members were already + adapted, and to which it can most easily offer a parallel by means + of this very imitation. + + -- 482 + +Freedom and law from the inside: + + In exercise of this freedom a territory is occupied to which the norms of the + surrounding society do not apply. The nature of the secret + society as such is autonomy. It is, however, of a sort which + approaches anarchy. Withdrawal from the bonds of unity which + procure general coh,erence very easily has as consequences for the + secret society a condition of being without roots, an absence of + firm touch with life (Lebensgefiihl), and of restraining reserva- + tions. The fixedness and detail of the ritual serve in part to + counterbalance this deficit. Here also is manifest how much men + need a settled proportion between freedom and law; and, further- + more, in case the relative quantities of the two are not prescribed + for him from a single source, how he attempts to reinforce the + given quantum of the one by a quantum of the other derived from + any source whatsoever, until such settled proportion is reached. + + -- 482 + +Existem a partir de sociedes públicas e de forma exclusiva:: + + The secret society, on the other hand, is a secondary structure; + i. e., it arises always only within an already complete society. + + [...] + + That they can build them selves up with such characteristics is possible, however, only + under the presupposition of an already existing society. The + secret society sets itself as a special society in antithesis with the + wider association included within the greater society. This anti- + thesis, whatever its purpose, is at all events intended in the spirit + of exclusion. Even the secret society which proposes only to + render the whole community a definite service in a completely + unselfish spirit, and to dissolve itself after performing the service, + obviously regards its temporary detachment from that totality as + the unavoidable technique for its purpose. Accordingly, none of + the narrower groups which are circumscribed by larger groiups + are compelled by their sociological constellation to insist so + strongly as the secret society upon their formal self-sufficiency. + Their secret encircles them like a boundary, beyond which there is + nothing but the materially, o,r at least formally, antithetic, which + therefore shuts up the society within itself as a complete unity. + In the groupings of every other sort, the content of the group- + +Aristocracy: + + This significance of secret associations, as intensification of + sociological exclusiveness in general, appears in a very striking + way in political aristocracies. Among the requisites of aristo- + cratic control secrecy has always had a place. It makes use of + the psychological fact that the unknown as such appears terrible, + powerful, and threatening. In the first place, it employs this fact + in seeking to conceal the numerical insignificance of the govern- + ing class. In Sparta the number of warriors was kept so, far as + + [...] + + On the other hand, the democratic principle is + bound up with the principle of publicity, and, to the same end, the + tendency toward general and fundamental laws. The latter relate + to an unlimited number of subjects, and are thus in their nature + public. Conversely, the employment of secrecy within the aristo- + cratic regime is only the extreme exaggeration of that social + exclusion and exemption for the sake of which aristocracies are + wont to oppose general, fundamentally sanctioned laws. + In case the notion of the aristocratic passes over from the + +Freedom, obedience and centralization: + + To this result not merely the correlation of demand + from freedom and for union contributes, as we have observed it + in case of the severity of the ritual, and in the present instance it + binds together the extremes of the two tendencies. The excess of + freedom, which such societies possessed with reference to all + otherwise valid norms, had to be offset, for the sake of the + equilibrium of interests, by a similar excess olf submissiveness + and resigning of the individual will. More essential, however. + was probably the necessity of centralization, which is the con- + dition of existence for the secret society, and especially when, + like the criminal band, it lives off the surrounding society, + when it mingles with this society in many radiations and + actions, and when it is seriously threatened with treachery + and diversion of interests the moment the most invariable + attachment to one center ceases to prevail. It is conseqeuntly + typical that the secret society is exposed to peculiar dangers, + especially when, for any reasons whatever, it does not develop + a powerfully unifying authority. The Waldenses were in + nature not a secret society. They became a secret society in + the thirteenth century only, in consequence of the external pres- + sure, which made it necessary to keep themselves from view. It + became impossible, for that reason, to hold regular assemblages, + and this in turn caused loss of unity in doctrine. There arose a + number of branches, with isolated life and development, fre- + quently in a hostile attitude toward each other. They went into + decline because they lacked the necessary and reinforcing attri- + bute of the secret society, viz., constantly efficient centralization. + +Responsibility: + + Nevertheless, responsibility + is quite as immediately joined with the ego - philosophically, too, + the whole responsibility problem is merely a detail of the problem + of the ego - in the fact that removing the marks of identity of + the person has, for the naive understanding in question, the effect + of abolishing responsibility. Political finesse makes no less use of + this correlation. In the American House of Representatives the + real conclusions are reached in the standing,committees, and they + are almost always ratified by the House. The transactions of + these committies, however, are secret, and the most important + portion of legislative activity is thus concealed from public view. + This being the case, the political responsibility of the repre- + sentatives seems to be largely wiped out, since no one can be + made responsible for proceedings that cannot be observed. Since + the shares of the individual persons in the transactions remain + hidden, the acts of committees and of the House seem to be those + of a super-individual authority. The irresponsibility is here also + the consequence or the symbol of the same intensified sociological + de-individualization which goes with the secrecy of group-action. + In all directorates, faculties, committees, boards of trustees, etc., + whose transactions are secret, the same thing holds. The indi- + vidual disappears as a person in the anonymous member of the + ring, so to speak, and with him the responsibility, which has no + hold upon him. in his intangible special character. + Finally, this one-sided intensification of universal sociological + + -- 496-497 + + [...] + +Danger for the rest of society and the existing oficial and central power: + + Wherever there is an attempt to realize + strong centralization, especially of a political type, special organi- + zations of the elements are abhorred, purely as such, entirely apart + from their content and purposes. As mere unities, so to speak, + they engage in competition with the central principle. + + [...] + + Accordingly, the secret society seems to be dangerous simply + because it is secret. Since it cannot be surely known that any + special organization whatever may not some day turn its legally + accumulated powers to some undesired end, and since on that + account there is suspicion in principle on the part of central + powers toward organizations of subjects, it follows that, in the + case of organizations which are secret in principle, the suspicion + that their secrecy conceals dangers is all the more natural. + + [...] + + Thus the secret society, purely on the ground of its secrecy, appears + dangerously related to conspiracy against existing powers. + + [...] + + The secret association is in such bad repute as enemy of central powers that, + conversely, every politically disapproved association must be + accused of such hostility! + + -- 497-498 -- cgit v1.2.3