Resolving the Jangling Discords of Inconsonant Nations: Bernard Shaw, Martin Luther King Jr., and the Dialectics of Paul Ricoeur—With Special Reference to His Reflections on Ideology and Utopia

abstract:This article argues that the synergy between Bernard Shaw, Martin Luther King Jr., and the renowned French philosopher Paul Ricoeur—particularly with respect to the latter's dialectic of ideology and utopia—constitutes the best chance the human species has for achieving planetary wellness and avoiding biological extinction, or worse. Like Ricoeur, Shaw and King are dialecticians, and their dialectics are Ricoeurian not only in form but also in substance. Both launched parallel critiques against the imperialist capitalist ideology they confronted in their respective countries during a time of war and also offered congruent utopian correctives to counter the grave danger presented by a predatory capitalism that elevates plutocratic materialism over ecumenical spiritually. In sum, the article maintains that, together, the artist, the preacher, and the sage hold the keys to a Jesusian kingdom of heaven on earth.