17 August

I’ve shared my concept of a ‘social field’, like a magnetic field but for society more generally. Not an analogy, the way mundane material transactions of everyday life create a collective, continuous web of stability without people needing to even know each other or interact. I thought I’d illustrate some of those activities. When people talk about getting societies to live harmoniously, including with multiple cultures co-existing, they always refer to just the people and their beliefs. Beliefs are hot air. Always look to the material conditions of life. They’re the secret sauce that holds societies together and create a unified culture. Countries with poor material infrastructure will tend to have social problems. The secret ingredient behind Australia’s historically successful multi-culturalism is the provision of excellent public material infrastructure. Using that infrastructure creates a unified culture independently of anybody’s beliefs.