Introduction
This article analyzes the evolution of social values from materialism toward post-materialism. According to Ronald Inglehart’s theory, the rise of existential security shifts citizens' priorities, necessitating a restructuring of state institutions. Readers will learn how cognitive mobilization and trust shape modern democracy and why the traditional left-right divide is losing relevance in the face of new civilizational challenges.
Systemic Logic: The Mechanism of the Change Hypothesis
The change hypothesis is based on the scarcity and socialization models: our priorities depend on the availability of goods during our youth, making value hierarchies difficult to change throughout our lives.
Cognitive Mobilization Drives Participation
Rising education levels and access to information increase citizens' ability to process complex content, allowing them to consciously guide elites rather than passively following them.
The Traffic Model: The End of Train-Like Linearity
Moving from a train model (fixed schedule) to a traffic model means the system requires dynamic right-of-way rules and trust to avoid decision-making paralysis.
The Welfare State Neutralizes Economic Incentives
As basic needs stabilize, pure financial incentives lose their power. Citizens begin to expect quality of life and autonomy, making cash transfers insufficient.
Interpersonal Trust: The Foundation of Democratic Stability
Systemic stability depends on attitudes that provide the world with predictability. Trust in others ensures that even sharp disputes do not lead to the delegitimization of democratic procedures.
Post-materialism: A New Axis of Social Polarization
The classic dispute over ownership is giving way to the materialism–post-materialism axis. Conflict now centers on ecology, minority rights, and the limits of state intervention in the private sphere.
Inflation: A Seeming Regression to Material Values
The paradox of returning to materialism during inflation is illusory. It is a short-term economic disruption that does not invalidate the long-term generational trend.
Asia and Africa: Alternative Paths to Modernization
In Asia, modernization coexists with conservatism and group harmony, while in Africa, material security remains a bottleneck for post-material development.
The Success of Military Alliances Weakens Support for Armament
Decades of peace have meant that generations free from existential fear are less likely to declare a readiness to fight, forcing a change in the language of security policy.
The Crisis of Youth Loyalty Restructures Party Systems
The erosion of party loyalty among the youth promotes new movements (e.g., the Greens) and forces old parties to unite inconsistent electorates around identity-based affects.
The Culture of Stability: The Primacy of Dignity-Based Procedures
A stable democracy requires procedures that affirm citizen agency. Without the feeling of being heard, social mobilization easily turns into cynicism.
The Post-material State: New Strategies and Priorities
Recommendations for the state include investing in common goods (mental health, the environment) and shifting the emphasis from military power to systemic resilience.
Values: Heuristics of Meaning and Complexity Reducers
Values act as cognitive filters that conserve our resources and organize expectations of others in a world of stimulus overload.
Education: A Barrier to Moral Panic in Debate
Teaching logic and ethics allows citizens to expose apparent contradictions (e.g., climate vs. security) and increases the share of productive disputes in public debate.
Authoritarianism: A Challenge to Inglehart’s Change Theory
The return of authoritarianism does not disprove Inglehart’s theory but rather points to a lack of recognition distribution. Subjective humiliation fuels the demand for a hard order despite rising wealth.
Summary
In a materially saturated world, can we build a society based on cooperation and trust? Transforming cognitive mobilization into a driving force for the common good requires institutions sensitive to human dignity. If we fail to create a language of compromise for new values, growing conflict could split our community like a blunt wedge.
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