This article describes ways to improve culture. It is based on research from several Upstate NY towns. Part I: What is Culture? | Part II: Attacks on Culture | Part III: Future Culture
1. Why is Culture Important?
Culture is the rising tide that lifts all boats. When we have culture, we have beautiful:
We can’t have one aspect of culture without the rest of it because it all goes together. It’s not fair to expect individual professions to solve their problems by themselves.
2. How Do We Create Culture?
Social Conditions
The right social conditions create culture, and culture creates material wealth.
Social Conditions → Culture → Material Wealth
Normal relationships are the social conditions that lead to culture and material wealth. They are the glue that holds everything together:
Normal relationships improve quality of life. A high quality of life leads to a high standard of living because people are productive when they enjoy what they do. A high standard of living, without quality of life, means that we are living on borrowed time. Eventually we run out of the prior generations’ wealth.
Negative indicators are the opposite of normal relationships. They are the social ills that decrease quality of life:
Negative indicators lead to a low standard of living because people are not productive when they are living in misery.
Comparisons
No matter how good things are, we can always improve the situation. We should study history and cherry pick what works.
Trade-Offs
Good things don’t come at the expense of other good things. It’s not a trade off. When there is social stability, there is culture. When there is culture, there is material wealth. We either have all of it, or none of it. Golden ages produce both artistic flourishing and scientific innovation.
3. Good Social Conditions
Constraints
We need constraints in order to be free, or we will be controlled by our desires. Normal relationships limit us for our own good, in the same way that laws against murder limit us for our own good. What’s good for society is good for the individual. We shouldn’t destroy normal relationships in the name of freedom. When we lack normal relationships like friends and family, we don’t have a check on our behavior. Society should get involved in a hands on way to restore normal relationships. Our civic responsibility is to care for all people.
Social ills don’t exist when certain things are “off the table”. High standards reinforce what we already know is right. When everything is on the table, antisocial trends get normalized. We should be honest about the consequences of actions, so we can weigh the pros and cons for ourselves. We can break the rules, but we need rules in the first place. It’s a disservice to the natural rebel to think that everyone should play that role.
An Alternative
We can’t just tell people what not to do. People already know when something is destructive, but they feel trapped. We need an alternative that offers them a way out. People need something to look forward to. When people don’t see a future for themselves, they don’t care about the consequences of their actions. They become a burden on society, and we end up paying for it. It costs more for prisons, police, rehab, and hospitals than if we invested in good jobs and good schools.
Mediating institutions are at the right scale to provide an alternative. They are closer to the problem, so they are less bureaucratic. They are more paternalistic. People think of them like family. They exist at the scale in between family and state.
Schools Are Responsible
Schools are the last line of defense against social ills. Schools don’t have to solve every problem, but they shouldn’t make it worse. Children spend most of their time in school, and parents can only do so much. Society is responsible for making sure that all children, no matter their situation, are given some guidance. Low standards fail by omission. Something will exist as school culture, and if it’s not determined by the school, it will be determined by special interests. Without an alternative, students will talk, dress, and act according to what antisocial trends tell them to do. Schools are the appropriate institution, in between family and state, to remedy the situation.
Rules For Schools 