Civilised identities

According to Rousseau the positive qualities of the pre-civilised identity, such as empathy, cooperation and sharing are replaced by tendencies to possessiveness, competition and greed when people move into societies. However, beyond this entry phase, the process of development of identity continues within the urbanised setting. Communities develop over time in the midst of the challenging social world facilitating and promoting new character types. Identities emerge which are oriented to knowledge and beauty, open to exchange of ideas and feelings, ready to learn. Intense populations create an impetus for improvement of conditions, demanding skills of cooperative labour.

When identities encounter one another in civilisations, some type of socialisation occurs. A more formalised development of this is structured education. Formal education by societies is necessary to ensure the development of positive character types capable of advanced communication, peaceful coexistence and collaborative knowledge.

The effects of socialisation and education spread extensively and intensively. Individuals become more civilised as well as the proportion of civilised people increasing. When neglected, the level of civilisation decreases.

According to the liberal tradition socialisation does not need steering by the society which instead is guided by an “invisible hand” (Safranski p 184). However without the intervention of education, society tends to fall into barbarism and totalitarianism, characterised by violent gangs and defensive citizens unable to sustain trust.

Empathetic character types are constantly under threat from the aggressive, competitive types with whom they share a common origin and amongst whom they learn to live. Laws have to be developed and enforced to protect and foster the developing civilisation in the identities of the participants.

As well as being responsible for a living environment for citizens, socialisation and education also are responsible for the formation of friendship. Unlike the general social order, friends can have a higher degree of trust than the general trust required and enforced for community to be an ordered, civilised place.

Unlike family or neighbourhood, friendship is born of communities of interest and common ideas. Love is a form of friendship.

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