Why Motihari Brigade Wants You to Question Everything
Punk Head: One of the most intriguing ideas in the release is that many people expected reason and science alone to naturally produce a better society after religion lost influence. What assumptions do you think were embedded in that belief, and where do you think those assumptions broke down?
Motihari Brigade: That’s what I thought for quite a while reading the New Atheists (Dawkins, Hitchens, Harris, etc.) But now I’m seeing another nuance that was perhaps unexpected. There seems to be something deep in human nature that clings tightly to dogmatic beliefs, even when secular, and especially when they reinforce a narrative about our own moral superiority over disfavored others. In this age of algorithmic information curation, the science of propaganda has learned to use our desire to feel morally superior as another means of manipulation. It’s been very effective — especially in dehumanizing enemies in war, which is an old game.
Punk Head: The release suggests that ancient spiritual traditions may retain wisdom that modern technological culture lacks. Were there specific traditions, texts, or ideas that influenced your thinking while writing these songs?
Motihari Brigade: As much as traditional religions have been historically used to promote war or oppression, there has also been this religious idea that human beings are unique spiritual beings with a soul. That is an interesting concept to revisit at a time when we are talking about merging with generalized artificial intelligence in a singularity - and maybe soon, who knows? Can human consciousness really be reduced to a digital reproduction. Would that be real or just a simulation of human consciousness - like a digital reproduction of a person, but missing the real consciousness. It was interesting that this song came out right around the time that Pope Leo released a papal encyclical about artificial intelligence that made similar points. That makes me feel like this is a genuine issue for humanity in the present moment, and the song reflects it.
Punk Head: ”Save Ourselves" asks whether we've simply replaced one form of dogma with another. Was that realization a specific turning point for you, or something that emerged gradually over time?
Motihari Brigade: Events over the last ten years have caused me to gradually re-evaluate my own world views - and question what was actually true and what was a media manipulation. I began to notice more and more that the media promotes a culture of division and war. And then it’s divide and rule for the oligarch billionaires and the political class that aren’t actually as divided amongst themselves as they pretend to be in the artificial psycho-drama political theater that we are bombarded with every day. Now I’m just trying to make art that communicates those feelings, in the hope that it may find an audience if others relate to it.
Punk Head: The phrase "independent critical thinking" appears repeatedly in the material. What does genuine critical thinking look like to you, and how is it different from simply being contrarian?
Motihari Brigade: To me independent critical thinking is the hope for the future. It’s asking questions and being problematic. Motihari Brigade is trying to give people permission to behave in that way, despite the propaganda onslaught and official narrative enforcement mechanisms. It’s like what Socrates did in ancient Athens. He asked question, pissed off the ruling class, was accused of corrupting the youth, taken to trial, and then executed when they made him drink the hemlock. They always kill the Socrates. I suppose that should be a warning. But it’s not just being contrarian. It’s using your own human ability to think for yourself rather than letting the corporate-state media machine do it for you. That’s more important than ever in this age of algorithmic narrative control. These days I try not to believe something without good reason to believe it. And seeing it on the news is usually not a good enough reason. I hold provisional beliefs, and am willing to change my mind if I gain a better understanding over time - which I usually do if I’m working at it.
Punk Head: Many artists critique technology, but your concern seems less about the technology itself and more about the systems of perception it creates. What aspects of digital life do you think are most difficult for people to see clearly because they're immersed in them?
Motihari Brigade: We’ve always had propaganda. But the techno-dystopia these days has taken it to a new level of pervasive immersion and information control. I think we are now at the point where just about everything we believe is wrong. And most people are happy with that because the things they believe make them feel good about themselves, and they also want to believe them because it coheres with what everyone else believes - at least all right-thinking decent-minded people. It’s reassuring to fit in with the prevailing group-think liberal consensus. Occasionally this carefully constructed narrative crashes into reality and then it creates a shocking discovery - like when it turns out we lost the war we were repeatedly told we were winning. Or it may not, and we can go along believing the things that make us feel good. But the deeper question is, are you curious about what’s actually true? If so, then ask questions and be problematic. For me, I’m on a mission to seek truth. Orwell and Socrates are my spirit-animal guides. But then remember what Voltaire said, “Seek the truth. But run from anyone who has found it.”
