Shall I begin with a provocative quote (My own !)
Inability to think beyond self , family, private life reflects a backward and immature state of human mind
How to eradicate this backwardness we all suffer from !
I stumbled upon a book which made me wonder , whether eradication of backwardness is little to do with education ! It lies much, much deeper in our cortical thinking influenced by inheritance , evolution , culture and economy .
The stunning truth was exemplified by American political scientist Edward C. Banfield .A must read for every one who have mind for society , community and the humanity !
In this book he introduced a new term to describe this self centered thinking as “Amoral familism”
“Banfield concluded that human plight was rooted in the distrust, envy and suspicion displayed by them in relations with each other. Fellow citizens would refuse to help one another, except where one’s own personal material gain was at stake. Many attempted to hinder their neighbors from attaining success, believing that others’ good fortune would inevitably harm their own interests”
Banfield theroy and “Moral Bankruptcy in Modern medical care”
I am afraid there is a compelling link between Banfield’s observation in a remote Italian village to the current medical community mind set who care only for their patients who pay them and keep them happy !
If you think education will eradicate social backwardness ,Why ? one of the most highly educated community that form the noble profession remain backward in their thinking !
How do you explain innumerable instances of hospitals , doctors shutting doors for lesser humans even in dire emergencies ! ?
Why do many of them join hands with powers that can be detrimental to the overall health of the society ?
The stunning irony is , they do it unashamed (with pleasure at times!) in violation of the oath they take when they join the Noble profession. Shall we call it as ” Moral Bankruptcy in medical care ?
Read further
Moral Basis of a Backward Society
Highlights of this book (Text from Wikipedia)
The Moral Basis of a Backward Society is a book by Edward C. Banfield, a political scientist who visited Montegrano, Italy . He observed a self-interested, family centric society which sacrificed the public good for the sake of nepotism and the immediate family. Banfield as an American was witnessing what was to become infamous as the “mafia” or families that cared only for its own “members” at the expense of their fellow citizens. Banfield postulated that the backwardness of such a society could be explained ‘largely but not entirely’ by ‘the inability of the villagers to act together for their common good or, indeed, for any end transcending the immediate, material interest of the nuclear family’.
Dr.S.Venkatesan MD 