Declare Independence from Misanthropic Dogma

During the fourth of July celebrations every year in the U.S., I take time to consider the things from which I want freedom. Those things may include a harmful habit such as repeated sub-par dietary choices (like eating one’s feelings with fast food during a pandemic) or a chronic negative self-image. There is always something we should let go of because it no longer serves us.

One thing we should all want independence from is restrictive dogma. I’m talking about beliefs that we hold onto so tightly that they limit our possibilities. For instance, if we believe in something so much that it profoundly separates us from other people, we should consider revising or letting go of that belief.

Malice or Misunderstanding?

The German writer Goethe said “misunderstandings and lethargy perhaps produce more wrong in the world than deceit and malice do. At least the latter two are certainly rarer.” A similar popular saying goes “never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by ignorance.”

Think about the negative interactions you’ve had with other human beings. Ask yourself honestly: did that person intend to approach me with malice, or was it a misunderstanding? If there was malicious intent, was it because the other person was “evil” or was it because of misanthropic beliefs that were in play?

Many of us default to the belief that other people should not be trusted. One of the reasons is the subconscious reaction of our negativity bias (which I’ve written about a few times). Our ancestors developed this biologically-driven bias as part of our evolutionary struggle to survive. Over time, as civilizations arose, many of our religions, institutions, and other belief systems incorporated the “see-the-bad-things-first” perspective of our negativity bias into their frameworks. In the case of Christianity, this gave rise to the idea of original sin: people are “evil” by nature, and that condition is unchangeable due to the spiritual circumstances of the universe (the fall of Adam and Eve) unless you accept Jesus as your lord and savior.

However, as with the concept of growth mindset, science is showing us that human behavior is determined by how we are “programmed,” through what we are taught and what we experience. We can change how think and act with concerted conscious effort, just as we can change our bodies with regular physical exercise. In other words, our nature is not fixed and doesn’t default to evil. If anything, we start as neutral beings, and become who we are through how we are socialized and the decisions we make.

Human Respect as Objective Morality

A growth mindset doesn’t equal moral relativism, however. One thing that always remains true is that treating other human beings with dignity and respect is one of our highest virtues. It may be the highest, given that the “Golden Rule” is what we call treating others as we want to be treated. This is the most precious tenet of human life, the one from which order and peace flows.

Think about it: when you treat others well, they tend to do the same in return. In addition, modern studies of human well-being show there are psychological and physiological benefits to be gained from helping other people. The implications are exciting: with our ever-growing understanding of the negativity bias and increasing awareness of the influence of socialization on our behavior, we can break the chains of institutionalized misanthropy. We can escape ill-conceived belief systems that try to teach us to see the world as merely a cutthroat Social Darwinism nightmare in which every other human being is an object of suspicion.

Ultimately, the Golden Rule is at the heart of heroism. Otherwise, why would we bother to teach ourselves to save other human beings, unless all of us are worth saving?

The Belief System Litmus Test

If you’re wondering how to spot a misanthropic ideology, here’s your litmus test: if a belief system depends on viewing a group of other people as “evil” or inferior, that’s a warning to steer clear. For right-wing hate groups, it’s a laundry list that includes Jews, minorities, liberals, and more. Scientology has “Suppressive People.” Groups that use the easy worldview explanation of “all your problems come from other people who want to hurt you” should be avoided at all costs.

Instead of people, our focus for social change should be on ideologies and systems. The things we set in motion—religions, governments, economies, companies—are, of course, maintained by people. Over time, people laboring under misanthropic ideologies can distort institutions and systems to become similarly misanthropic.

I’m not suggesting that individual people should never face consequences. Ideally, those who do harm to others through corrupted systems should have consequences for their actions, as well as the chance for rehabilitation and redemption. But what about the institution or system they distorted? If we focus only on punishing individuals, we run the risk of falling into the trap of simplistic misanthropy ourselves.

We should never forget to address the divisive ideologies that have been embedded in our systems. If we don’t work to replace them with more pro-human ideas, they will perpetuate the negative worldviews that keep us apart.

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