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Characterizing himself a as "conservative Christian anarchist," Pitirim A. Sorokin, professor of sociology, in last night's Forum on "Are We Going to the dogs?" prescribed fundamental social, cultural, and economic reorganization of himself as the remedy that will save the Western World from its plunge toward social and cultural degeneracy.
Both professor Sorokin and Wilfred Wellock, Labor Member of Parliament form 1927 to 1931, deplored the present day materialistic economic system which deprives the mass man of the opportunity to develop his personality and spiritual powers. "The modern mass production system," stated Wellock, "which makes factory workers robots, takes away their individuality, by-passes culture and religion, and leads them to work like machines and play like devils."
"When men derive no pleasure form their work and have no desire to put their soul into it, they work for money alone as a means to buy their pleasures and thus there is no limit to the money they want."
Henry D. Aiken, associate professor of Philosophy, defended the sensate materialism denounced by Sorokin and Wellock, asserting that "we need not be ashamed of it."
"Human culture might be described a as state of perpetual and not necessarily related crises. We must not assume, for example that since there is a deep seated crisis in economics that there is also one in religion."
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