In memoriam Zygmund Bauman

I just recently heard that Zygmund Bauman has died.  He was born in 1925 in Poland, was professor of sociology at Leeds University, head of department. He was interested in many topics. Fascinated me their insights about modernity. He was perhaps the only sociologist who admired me.

 It was the Vytautas Magnus University in Kaunas where the first time I have meet him, not personally, but his works. Later, in 2007 the University gave him an honorary doctorate.

One time at the meeting with journalists he sad  “I am not a prophet”. It would be some misunderstanding to call philosopher a prophet. Despite this the professor liked to carry away and analyse, and this thinking’s you can call almost prophetic. He was productive, has written more than fifty books. He called to look to his ideas as a test. To show possible consequences of the present processes. The same thing hooked me and I started to go deeper in my studies. But let’s go back to the professor.

                                          @thinkingoftheworld.wordpress.com

According to Bauman each of us carries two worlds. It is virtual and non – virtual worlds. Virtual world taking up a large part of our time, changing us when we are in there. But the virtual world is simple, does not require a bit of efforts. It is enough to enter a Google search and get the answer to your question. Then you need to purchase an item, it is not necessary to go to the store and communicate with the seller and choose an item live. However, a significant advantage of such communication matters.  Than virtual world take risk. First -  it makes lack of socialization   communication reduces itself face – to – face contact. Second – the lack of patience. Virtually everything is achieved very quickly. Modern children has difficulty to concentrate to read books, because there is nothing moving. I have mentioned that my self-reading the mostly online news sites. And always was wondering how articles has transience. Often I get irritated when you find an interesting article and would like to once again look at. Often, I am getting annoying. When you find an interesting article, and would like to look at it once again, suddenly you understand that it has gone. If you have not been prudent and did not made copy. Events disappears very quickly in au world.

Does professor suggest any recipes? It is not a philosopher’s business to make recipes, such saying I have learn in my studies. Computers became part of our life’s. And that make as proposal Bauman calls it banal thing. Tell the children what they lose, promote them to communicate with friends, read paper books, play outside, think independently. Here he applies to Gutenberg’s invention. When printing machine was invented it also prevailed people in a huge upset. This has led to unexpected consequences. It has greatly facilitated the spread of the Reformation. As it is known the Reformations one of the key things has been proclamation of the gospel in national languages.

And a desperately needed cheap books. Possibility to get cheaper books makes that they can be accessible to mainstream audience. The Bible is no longer elitist publication. Clearly elitism defenders did not want to lose ground.

The forth risk – it is comfort zone created by the internet. You do not want to exit from it. On the street, you can meet unpleasant people. In the virtual world, you can meet hem too, but it is much easier to avoid them. The network allows you to manage the situation. You may create a network that will depend on you. In the internet is easy to add friends and discarded them. But real communication takes places not among those who believe in the same thing as you are, said Bauman. We need encourage dialogue, for a be tested our ideas and beliefs.

In his theory of liquid modernity Bauman argues that in the current century all agreements are temporary and short – lived. For this theory professor was considered as one of the most important social scientist in the world. More explicated idea is in the book “The moral blindness: loss of sensation in liquid modernity “. Here he focusses analysis on increasingly individualistic world and the loss of community. Democracy finds itself in the crisis because of lost confidence. When it occurs global challenges, such as migrant crisis, it is necessary to act and to decide what to do. But cannot do or solve the global problem on the nation state level. That’s why ES has turbulent in their decisions. Nation states do not want to accept decision made from Brussel. And national level is too low for a solve global problem. Power is becoming globalized, but the policy of nation – states are localized. Many of state rejected to take immigrants. Or same states were agreeing, but the migrants from there states has escaped. It has happened so with Baltic states. So, it works only partly.

The tempo is disappointing to local nations. They want to regain control of borders, to recover the country for themselves. As it has happened in the case of Great Britain. The professor believes that the Treaty of Versailles guide these principles. It has spread the idea at that time, that every nation has the right to self- government. But today is no longer a homogeneous area and it is outdated idea, said Bauman.

There is already a broken connection between the places where you live and your identity. Traditionally the community members became members from the birth. It is believed now that you should create their own community.

In 2016 he has given interview for the Spanish El Pais. There Bauman speaks about freedom and security. These two values difficult to reconcile. If you want more security must sacrifice more freedom. If you want more freedom, you must give more security.

Bauman became famous in 1989 by the book „Modernity and the Holocaust “.