A social work pioneer debunks the myth of a Great Society. Embedded in a contrapuntal culture, while societal dysfunctionality and institutional meltdown play havoc with mortals, we stand on the edge of an existential abyss. Humanity confronts its own monsters: Fury of fires, floods; scourges of a pandemic; random mass shootings; and mayhem, not to speak of the ravages of pervasive inequality, injustice, and ubiquity of fear. A culture of falsification, terror, and nihilist narcissism obscures small steps toward progress. The algorithms of change thwart human and social development since structural anomalies breed dysfunctional outcomes. They also manifest contours of frayed institutions in a broken society. The result is paradoxical convulsions of hope and despair. Once the structure of values erodes, our social-institutional foundation requires transformational renewal. The author calls for a new Social Contract and Enlightenment Two -- a movement of reconstruction -- in search of a new society. Implicit here is a compelling argument to reinvent homo-sapiens and rediscover the purpose of life (ie: global harmony).
