Human Determinism.. Toward a New Philosophical Theory

By Dr. Mohamed Emara Taqi al-Din
A pressing question arises from the exacerbation of global military conflicts and tensions, which threaten a cosmic war capable of annihilating everyone—especially given the widespread availability of weapons of mass destruction: What can be done to prevent humanity from committing such an atrocious act, and where is the human conscience in all of this? Is there an urgent rescue plan that could defuse this destruction and -restore- the world to its previous stability?

In my view, based on current data, humanity is on the verge of a physical, existential death. This has been preceded by a spiritual death, as the latter inevitably leads to the former-;- a sequence that is brutally self-evident. Therefore, any rescue plan must begin by saving the spirit first and foremost. At that exact moment, the bird of hope may loom on the horizon, hovering in an attempt to salvage humankind s material, objective existence.

While the French philosopher Michel Foucault spoke of the "death of man" in its philosophical sense within the postmodern era, I am speaking here of an attempt to resurrect him. This is achieved by confronting all attempts to undermine the human self, serving as a foundational first step within a broader strategy to prevent humanity from annihilating itself—to borrow a concept from John Taylor.

Through this article, we seek to crystallize the features of a philosophical theory that we believe is new. It is a theory designed to pave the way toward value-based, compassionate pathways to escape this wretched, materialistic, and valueless reality. We have termed it the theory of "Human Determinism."

This theory consists of two pillars, -function-ing as a two-step sequence:

Step One: The Philosophy of the "Convergence of Utility and Value"
(At the level of thought and perception)
We must perceive the world through this lens: we are all aboard a single vessel—the ship of humanity. As it sails through a raging sea with crashing waves, we will either navigate its depths together´-or-drown as one. Alternatively, we all breathe from a single lung in this world-;- we must either preserve it and keep it -function-al,´-or-excessively pollute it until we all suffocate and perish. There is no third option. As Martin Luther King Jr. famously noted, we must either learn to live together as brothers´-or-perish together as fools.

Hence, we call for human transcendence to reach those peak human experiences. In reality, these are the ultimate moments of existence championed by existential philosophy—moments that propel us toward salvation from the illusion of egocentrism. Consequently, this engages us in a collective, value-driven human project for the betterment of all mankind, allowing us to embrace and appreciate the journey itself despite its pain, hardships, rugged paths, and few travelers.

In truth, religions in their original revelations lean toward the value-oriented, which is profoundly utilitarian at its core. I do good to heal my own soul-;- thus, my personal utility is achieved, which in turn benefits society. From this stems the magnificent Islamic principle: "Whoever kills a soul... it is as if he had slain mankind entirely, and whoever saves one, it is as if he had saved mankind entirely." This principle is highly indicative in this context.

Therefore, under our framework, there is no contradiction between values and utilitarianism. Achieving the good of the other is a multiplied good for myself. Sustaining the other—both materially and spiritually—while guaranteeing their freedom and preserving their dignity under a truly participatory democratic governance is the ultimate safeguard against global violence, terrorism, and psychological ailments.

The deprived´-or-oppressed is often psychologically scarred, and their malady will inevitably explode in the face of society as a whole.
The one who takes more than their right without a pang of conscience amidst an oppressed and starving society is also psychologically scarred. They will perpetually be haunted by a lack of security and the feeling that their crime is catching up to them.

Both are unwell. Since they represent the building blocks of society—and indeed all of humanity—humanity is in -dir-e need of urgent psychological therapy.

The reality is that all of us,´-or-rather most of us, suffer psychologically under a world driven by the logic of power, opportunism, and absolute utilitarianism. However, the difference lies in the degree of the affliction. We simply need not exceed permissible-limit-s-;- we must remain at a threshold that poses no danger to others, but rather serves as a source of happiness for them. This must continue until the moment arrives to reshape this global order, curing it of its diseases so it can return to being values-driven, humanistic, and compassionate.

From this perspective, resolving any human conflict humanely serves everyone s interest. For instance, we believe that settling the Arab-Zionist conflict humanely would benefit everyone: Arabs, Jews, and indeed all human beings. Many worldwide are beginning to realize this equation. Values will ultimately yield both private and public utility in the final analysis-;- it is merely human haste and impatience that obscure this. Yes, a just resolution to this conflict serves everyone s interest—even Jews and Judaism—as it rescues them from the clutches of Zionist ideology and delivers them from an inevitable catastrophic fate driven by rising global animosity toward Jews due to the criminal practices of the Zionist entity.

Step Two: The Philosophy of "Adoption and Action"
(At the level of movement and practice)

The philosophy of "Adoption and Action" dictates that if an individual, a group,´-or-humanity adopts a vision and it becomes a deep-seated internal conviction—grounded in the first step s equation that values lead to public utility—they will strive with all their might to enforce and establish it in reality. More often than not, they will succeed. This is precisely how prophecies work-;- this is how fortune-telling and horoscopes operate-;- and this is how many of history s great figures are made.

When a coffee cup reader tells you that you will have a great future, you usually strive with all your being to fulfill that destiny. Conversely, if they tell you that your life is wretched, frustration sets in, and you begin to dwell on your sorrows, ultimately leaving you depressed and miserable. From this comes the Arabic proverb: "The astrologers lied, even if they spoke the truth." They lie because no one knows the future, but it is a lie that prompts you to adopt a specific life stance based on the prophecy told to you. Often, you unconsciously act to fulfill it, making it appear as though the prophecy was accurate and the fortune teller knew the future—when in fact, it was you who brought it to fruition.

This is where change originates, provided we believe that the future holds multiple scenarios and that we are the ones who one of these scenarios to manifest in reality. If a human being adopts a conviction and believes in it fiercely, they will seek to achieve it. If they take a stance, they will work to validate it in reality. This applies to everything, and this is religion in its deepest sense.

Undoubtedly, our vision aligns with the "Challenge and Response" theory of the British historian and philosopher Arnold Toynbee. The choice of response, in our view, depends on a certain conviction—whether negative´-or-positive. If prompted toward positive responses, the face of civilization would change for the better. The tragedy, however, is that under the pressure of reality and a lack of deep reflection, the majority of responses that communities and nations resort to are negative. Herein lies the tragedy.
Even Hegel’s great triad can be read with the same implication. The final synthesis can be negative´-or-positive depending on the model we are convinced of and adopt. This means there is a possibility to resolve the conflict of opposites and guide it in a pre-planned -dir-ection.

Through this lens, and inspired by this theory, we can interpret everything and push it toward a humanistic, value-driven model. However, adoption must be preceded by serious investigation, the formulation of holistic visions, the construction of cognitive maps, deep scientific planning, and the proposal of future scenarios. We must then choose the most humane, value-oriented, and consequently utilitarian scenario (since the value-driven is deeply utilitarian at its core, as previously agreed). Afterward, this chosen scenario is enacted and planted firmly into reality.

What we aim to achieve is a state of "Superhumanity"´-or-"Hyper-humanity." This represents a human model at its absolute-limit-s—an exaggerated, supreme model in its compassionate, humanistic tendency. It is a model capable of illuminating the darkness of the human soul and purging it of the postmodern impurities that have clung to it.

The truth is that at any given historical moment, the will of power is what drives historical events forward. Yet, God intended for us to steer history according to the will of the spirit, which carries a value-driven humanistic cargo. This is the role of man and his eternal struggle on this planet. Otherwise, humanity loses the justification and purpose of its existence. Man is destined to march in the opposite -dir-ection—to say "no" in the face of those who say "yes."
What an exhausting march it is, for he must roll the boulder up the mountain just as Sisyphus did. Yet, at its core, this is not an absurd act, but one that is profoundly purposeful.

In brief: we must believe in the possibility of realizing human values to their utmost-limit-, and then work to manifest that conviction in reality.

Prior to that, visions and convictions must be generated through dialogue, which refines and develops them to a state close to perfection. Plato, for instance, believed that knowledge arises from a dialogue akin to a woman s labor, which stimulates the fetus to emerge from the womb. Through the interaction of conflicting ideas, truths emerge into existence.

On the other hand, the Human Determinism we advocate leads to what we call "Civilizational Compassion." This is a vision that everyone must adopt. It implies that advanced civilizations must show mercy to their sister civilizations during times of civilizational decline, and even assist them in rising again for the collective good of humanity. The law of civilizations is strict and applies to everyone: today you are powerful, but tomorrow you will weaken and grow old while another rises. That is the law of civilizations, and that is the profound wisdom of history that continuously repeats itself time and time again—yet no one wishes to listen to this eternal cosmic melody.

We must firmly establish the conviction that our current civilization is merely the collective product of all ancient civilizations combined.

Therefore, it is crucial to firmly believe that present civilization is the cumulative sum of ancient civilizations’ contributions (a fact often denied), augmented by the efforts of Enlightenment thinkers. These efforts, however, were marred by many shortcomings that we hope to address in the future by drawing upon the core humanistic values of each civilization: Islam s central value is justice-;- the West s is liberty-;- Marxism s is equality-;- and the Far East s is wisdom and mystical contemplation. As Roger Garaudy emphasizes, the European Christian heritage is fundamentally an Asian heritage. Hence, Garaudy questions: "Why has our civilization [meaning Western civilization] been amputated and the foot-print-s of those who nurtured it [meaning Eastern civilizations] erased? Is it a mark of greatness to be the son of an unknown father?"

Consequently, we propose striving toward what we term the "Humanitarian Bloc." By this, we mean mobilizing vast, yet deeply conscious populations around the concept of "Human Necessity" to forge a global movement capable of reshaping current human reality and steering it in our desired -dir-ection.

Now, let us examine the Arab-Zionist conflict as a case study. We believe our theory holds the key to decoding this conflict and advancing toward a just and deeply humane resolution. Rooted in this theory, the following concise propositions can be made:

First: This theory calls upon us as humans to believe that value-driven choices (ethicality) inevitably lead to utilitarian benefits (utility). This means that resolving the Arab-Zionist conflict justly and humanely by granting Palestinians their full rights (the ethical dimension) serves the best interest of everyone—Arabs, Jews, and the entire world (the utilitarian dimension).

Second: We must adopt—in accordance with the philosophy of adoption and action—a specific scenario´-or-a humane, value-driven solution based on deep research that -restore-s the stolen rights of the Palestinians. By executing and enforcing this solution in reality, we will have successfully realized both the ethical and the utilitarian outcomes simultaneously.
Dr. Mohamed Amara Taqi al-Din (an Egyptian academic specializing in political sociology and the Arab-Zionist conflict)

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