A society develops only when its members hold their own power of decision.
Evidence
Cultural invasion further signifies that the ultimate seat of decision regarding the action of those who are invaded lies not with them but with the invaders. And when the power of decision is located outside rather than within the one who should decide, the latter has only the illusion of deciding. … Thus, while all development is transformation, not all transformation is development. The transformation occurring in a seed which under favorable conditions germinates and sprouts, is not development. In the same way, the transformation of an animal is not development. The transformations of seeds and animals are determined by the species to which they belong; and they occur in a time which does not belong to them, for time belongs to humankind. — Paulo Freire, Pedagogy of the Oppressed, 510
Categorization
- DEFINE: Distinguishes development from mere transformation — the seat of decision criterion.
- XREF: connects to: Self-determination becomes reachable only through self-alienating strategic collectivity. — Donna Landry and Gerald MacLean, The Spivak Reader: Selected Works of…, 1766; Intelligence only chooses between options a system already offers, never inventing new ones. — Byung-Chul Han, Psychopolitics: Neoliberalism and New…, 192; Some associations merit autonomy so their members can develop their own institutions. — Henry M. Hart, Jr. and Albert M. Sacks, The Legal Process: Basic Problems in…, 5081