New Thought offered a practical economic theodicy: a way of explaining and justifying wealth inequality as a kind of spiritual hierarchy, with the rich at the top and the suffering at the bottom. And it is notable that the protest, a modern descendant of New Thought, is expected to gain prominence at a time when economic inequality is once again at an all-time high.
Although New Thought may no longer be alive in the same form today, its legacy is clearly visible in American life. In evangelical circles, it has morphed into the prosperity gospel: the idea that prayer (and tithing) will be rewarded with material success in this life. According to one study, three-quarters of American Christians agree with the statement “God wants us to prosper financially.” Its effect can be attributed to maxims found in the philosophies of wellness brands like Goop and gurus like Oprah Winfrey and Tony Robbins and in self-help bestsellers like Norman Vincent Peale’s «The Power of Positive Thinking» and “The Secret” by Rhonda Byrne.
Echoes of the new thinking are also visible in our politics – where self-invention and the idea that reality can and should bend to belief have never been more fashionable. The most notorious recent example is that of former New York Congressman George Santos, whose absurd inventions got him elected to public office. (He later defended them, claiming to be a «self-made man,» which, in one sense, he certainly was.) And of course, there’s former president and current Republican front-runner Donald Trump, whose legendary delusions of grandeur helped him rise to the highest office in the land.
Today, as in the 19th century, the belief that we can make things happen also has a dark side. In an age where wild lies can and do influence elections, coming forward is as much about exerting influence on others as it is about improving one’s finances, recovering from illness, or achieving self-actualization. atmosphere.
Only by understanding the religious and occult tradition from which the concept of manifestation descends can we see it for what it really is: a spiritualized gloss on the same misleading logic that suggests poverty is a choice and that under -tends so many policies. disinformation. After all, if reality is only what we make it, then those who have the least qualms about conforming to the truth will have the most power to shape the future.