Clarifying Civilization with B Herry-Priyono

In this book it is reflected that Father Herry never offers shallow moral solutions.

YOHANES KRISNAWAN

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"Reza, the main characteristic of reality is complexity. There is nothing simple in reality. Simplistic analysis is only the result of lazy thinking," said Father Herry (B Herry-Priyono) in our last meeting before he passed away at the end of 2020.

Those words stuck in my mind. Speaking of life, nothing is simple. However, if viewed from its deepest point, actually everything is so simple. We suffer and hurt each other, precisely because we think in inappropriate ways.

Thinking correctly, that is what B Herry-Priyono continues to teach. Through his writing and teaching words, he invites us all to think coherently, logically, systematically, critically and comprehensively. The field he chose was political economy with a touch of philosophy and very strong literary expressions. With proper clarity, a political economic order that brings the common good can be realized.

Father Herry never offers shallow moral solutions.

After he died, Kompas Book Publishers published various writings by Father Herry into several books. One of them is entitled Hunting Economic People, Searching for Instinctswhich will be published in 2022. This book was edited by three people whose names are no longer foreign to the world of Indonesian thought. They are Ignatius Haryanto, Karlina Supelli, and Angga Indraswara.

This book shows the sharpness of his political economic analysis, as well as the clarity of his conscience in the face of the complexity of the existing situation. Father Herry's position remains, namely to create a political economic system that is humane and favors the common good (bonum commune). Father Herry also often collaborates with Yanuar Nugroho. Some of their works have also been distributed to the public.

Herry-Priyono's concerns

There are four important things that may be understood from this book. Firstly, Father Herry might be the greatest thinker about globalization in Indonesia. He explains its basic characteristics and direct impacts on humans. For him, globalization is both a collision and a narrowing of space and time as vast as the earth itself.

Secondly, as he repeatedly said to me, the economy and business have now become a new global power. Countries are often made powerless in the face of it. International laws and regulations are disregarded to satisfy their greed. According to Father Herry, international business has now become a new Leviathan that still escapes human critical eyes, as well as the scrutiny of accountable public policy control.

"If economic diagnosis only revolves around fluctuations in interest rates, stock indices, exchange rates, export-import volumes, and the like," wrote Father Herry, "perhaps we don't need to be scholars, but it's better to be a bank credit employee” (p. 31). Economics and business are much broader and deeper than just economic statistics. This is what analysts and public policy makers in Indonesia still seem to forget. As a result, problem analysis becomes superficial, and public policy falls into moral suggestions that will never be heard, let alone implemented.

Father Herry does not hate data. In fact, in various of his writings, various statistical data are displayed. However, he does not become a slave to data. He does not worship statistics, and forgets the ontological, epistemological, and ethical elements behind it, as many Indonesian economists, even the world, do. In this sense, in my opinion, Father Herry is an extremely rare thinker, not only in Indonesia, but also on a global level.

Third, one of the concepts developed by Father Herry is homo oeconomicus or economic man. This kind of human does not exist in reality. It is a concept created by various economic practices and theories that have lost their roots. The economy, especially regarding the accumulation of capital and profits, is also seen as a world in itself, while forgetting the very rich and varied values ​​of other human lives.

Through his writing and teaching words, he invites us all to think coherently, logically, systematically, critically and comprehensively.

Fourthly, Father Herry sees the need to understand that the true meaning of economics is. Economics must be reintegrated into society with various values of life that have previously supported its existence. Economics must be a matter of fulfilling human needs, and not just blind pursuit of profit by a handful of greedy groups. When economics is rooted in its true meaning, even prosperity for all can be achieved.

Breadth of thought

Personally, I am very familiar with Father Herry's thoughts, both in his writing and his teachings. There are four things that are important to reflect on further. Firstly, Father Herry intends to understand the mechanisms of power that flow in every aspect of our lives, especially in the field of political economics. This intention needs to be continued together by us as readers of his works, as well as his students.

Secondly, Father Herry is not just an expert in political economy. He is also a philosopher and a poet. His heart remains romantic even though his analysis slices as sharp as a surgical knife. Father Herry longs for authenticity in political economy, when both are understood accurately, in accordance with their true meaning, and the richness of meaning within them.

Thirdly, the result of his clear conscience and sharp analysis is his full involvement in his life. Father Herry taught and led one of the best educational institutions in the world at the time (now unfortunately no longer in existence), namely the Driyarkara College of Philosophy. Not only that, he worked with many government agencies and non-governmental organizations to achieve his mission. When he left so quickly and unexpectedly, the sorrow left behind was so profound.

Fourthly, Father Herry indeed brings deep clarity in reading the movements of civilization, ranging from economic politics to complex corruption issues. However, there is no new way of thinking that he offers. This seems to escape his perspective. He uncovers the performance of power, offers improvements, while still relying on previous thinkers.

Clearing civilization

I believe that Father Herry's deepest intention is not to organize economics or politics. His greatest concern is also not philosophy or literature. He wants to clarify civilization. In this sense, civilization is the entirety of human life reflected in both material and non-material entities. In this sense, and in the broadest sense of the word, civilization is life itself.

To clarify means two things. First, clarification is an effort to understand accurately. For this, we need sharpness in observing and analyzing. Various branches of science as well as religion may be very useful in this regard.

Secondly, to clarify means to offer direction. Due to the complexity that humans themselves have created, civilization often loses its direction. Not only that, but civilization even regresses backwards. For example, an economy that impoverishes, development that damages, politics that is corrupt, and so on.

Also read: Ganesa Moves Everywhere

Offering direction also means offering a way out. The solution is only possible if it arises from the clarity and sharpness of understanding the problem. Father Herry has never offered shallow moral solutions. He chooses to uncover mechanisms of what is happening, outlining its weaknesses and strengths, and then, so subtly, offering a way out.

In conclusion, this book is not only full of profound knowledge, but also very enjoyable to read. Father Herry's choice of words is crisp and beautiful, even though his sentences are often too long. We need a little patience to fully appreciate both its beauty and depth. However, this is not a hindrance if we, along with the late Father Herry, want to contribute to clarifying civilization.

Reza A A Wattimena, Founder of the House of Philosophy; Developer of the Theory of Consciousness, Religion and Politics; Student B Herry-Priyono

Book Data

Book title: Hunting Economic Man, Searching for Instincts

Author: B Herry-Priyono

Publisher: Kompas Book Publishers

Year of publication: Print I, 2022

Book thickness: x + 598 pages

ISBN: 978-623-346-422-2