Korach redo #3- The defense mechanism in the community of mind

In the previous post we noted the general principle of psychic defense. The psyche accepts its own ultimate value as self evident. This ultimate value will express itself in the belief that success must be easy to implement. This sense of entitlement to easy success will be “justified” by boom periods-natural cycles that promote success, but will be contradicted by “busts” natural cycles that promote failure. Corresponding to these cycles will be social cycles of confidence and despair, along with attendent leadership opportunities based upon the need for “hope” and “change”.

What remains to be explained is the application of this principle to Israel. As the material person seeks security in the face of cycles of boom and bust in economic and defense areas, the community of mind seeks security in the face of booms and bust in the area of principles of thought. The booms and busts correspond to insights and difficulty in attaining knowledge. These cycles can express itself in a variety of ways.
As Rambam points out in Chelek, there is a danger in the approach to knowledge. As man begins to gain wisdom, he is empowered in a technological sense. The Thomas Edison's, and indeed professionals generally, are vulnerable to confusing the particular principles they use technologically, with ultimate principles. As the saying goes a carpenter sees everything as a hammer. Rambam referred to this as the problem of “doctors”.

Thomas Kuhn in “structure of scientific revolution” documents the phenomenon of defense in terms of paradigmatic rigidity in more theoretical thought. The thinking community settles on its paradigm and then wants to proceed in securing accomplishments- Nobel prizes, PHD's, patents etc. Any deep questioning of the paradigm evokes terror that the community's very existence will be challanged. He who dares challenge consensus about Newtonian mechanics,relativity Quantum theory or Evolution faces the wrath of the entire thinking community.