INDIVIDUATION AND THE CULTURE OF DEMOCRACY: FOUNDATIONS OF THE AMERICAN CULTURAL IDENTITY

FRIDAY, MARCH 6, 2020 

7:30 - 9:30PM

SATURDAY, MARCH 7, 2020 

10AM-2PM

FACULTY: ROBERT MITCHELL

TUITION: $125

With America's political democracy under attack, the sanctity of the individual, expressed through the individuation imperative, stands at the foundation of a long history of democracy envisioned as a cultural ideal. 

In his public speeches, President Jimmy Carter often referred to the sanctity of the individual as one foundation of the American cultural identity codified in our freedoms of religion and expression. Becoming conscious of this sacred aspect of the personality is the goal of individuation. Individuation and the culture of democracy have a long history together. It began with the ancient Greeks and was also expressed in the tribal cultures of Native Americans. Plato and Aristotle examined the philosophical aspects and political implications of democratic culture. The mystery cult initiation of the Greeks and the vision quest of the Native Americans was a ritualized individuation-initiation leading to the spiritualization of the personality and its expression in a democratic culture. In the 19th century, Walt Whitman gave substance to the concept of a spiritualized democracy. These are perilous times for our democracy. Ignoring this connection could lead us to disaster. A reiteration of the connection between the individuation imperative and a democratic culture can restore the democratic ideal to our cultural identity. 

ROBERT MITCHELL is an independent scholar, writer, and lecturer on holistic education, individuation, and democracy as a cultural ideal. He taught secondary school and did his doctoral studies in the history of consciousness with a focus on American education. He is the author of five books and numerous papers and articles and has lectured in the US and Europe.