‘We have a new image of society … and then out of this we have a new image of religion … I feel more grandiose than I did then because now I think I’d call it the basis for a [new] universalism …’ This bold prediction of unity and renewal comes neither from a bearded prophet nor a New Age guru. The idea that society and religion are heading toward a new universalism comes instead from the psychologist Abraham Maslow speaking in 1972. Maslow is famous for his idea of self-actualisation and his hierarchy of needs. This hierarchy leads the individual from lowly physiological and safety needs (eg, food, shelter) through love, belonging and esteem, all the way to self-actualisation. Today, Maslow’s ideas are back in fashion, covered in innumerable self-help books such as Transcend: The New Science of Self-Actualization (2020) by Scott Barry Kaufman, or The Brother’s Handbook: Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Revised for the Black Man (2020) by Byron Cowan.
ፍትህ ለሁሉም / Justice for All