By imagining new ministries in an epistolary essay, the philosopher Normand Baillargeon and the poet Christian Vézina wanted above all to highlight subjects which, according to them, are discussed too little.
A ministry dedicated to degrowth, one devoted to social justice or even self-management: these are some of the eight proposals in the book. Are these suggestions intended for the government of Quebec or that of Canada? “It wasn’t bad for the world,” replies Mr. Vézina. “We put our finger on things that bother us, that appear to us to be important issues and then we try to draw attention to that,” adds Mr. Baillargeon, regarding the work New ministrieswhich will be released on September 13.
In interview at Dutythe two authors and friends however say that they embarked with humility on this literary “adventure”, the idea of which came from their editor, Myriam Caron Belzile.
We do not pretend to say that tomorrow the Ministry of Degrowth will be created, but it is a convenient way of discussing these ideas.
“We do not pretend to say that tomorrow the Ministry of Degrowth will be created, but it is a convenient way of discussing these ideas,” explains Normand Baillargeon. “Convenient and inconvenient at the same time,” Mr. Vézina adds with a laugh. The latter relates that the exercise took him out of his comfort zone, which is nevertheless the characteristic of reflection.
However, it is difficult to think with new technologies which constantly bombard us with information, underlines Christian Vézina. In the essay, he proposes in particular to create a Ministry of Silence. This would, among other things, have the task of converting abandoned places of worship into “temples of silence”, where both atheists and believers of all religions could converge.
“It’s not a detail at all, the silence,” says Mr. Vézina. The less silence there is, the less inner sovereignty one can have and, ultimately, the more manipulable one is. »
Think together
In the era of polarization and social networks, the democratic conversation is undermined, argues Normand Baillargeon. The test New ministries therefore aims to fuel discussion in society. “Let’s talk,” sums up the teacher. “Especially if we don’t agree,” adds Christian Vézina.
It’s a way of inviting everyone who has something between their two ears to participate in the exercise.
The latter emphasizes that reflection should not be reserved for specialists. “Thinking is done for citizens. I am the example of the very average citizen, self-taught and who participates in the exercise [de proposer des ministères]. It’s a way of inviting everyone who has something between their two ears to participate in the exercise. »
In the work, the authors’ thought process is also visible to the reader. “We evolve by saying: “That, I don’t know; I’m not sure about that; wait, I’ll come back to you.” We don’t arrive like some kind of philosophical magicians who come up with truths,” explains Mr. Vézina.
“We were surely wrong about a lot of things,” adds Mr. Baillargeon. “I really hope we were wrong,” affirms Christian Vézina, adding that they are both “humans, animals who make mistakes.”
The digital emergency
Throughout the conversation, a concern of the two authors constantly comes up: the urgency, according to them, to think even more in depth about the ethical questions surrounding digital technology. This is also the subject of one of the chapters.
Governments must pay more attention to the repercussions that Web giants, like Google and Facebook, and artificial intelligence have on our lives, underlines Normand Baillargeon. “There are attacks on individuals, on privacy, on the autonomy of thought and on the circulation of ideas. It is absolutely gigantic”, maintains the philosopher.
Technological tools, of course, have many advantages, he adds. Like that of being able to exchange electronic messages and e-mails, which moreover constitute the material of the book New Ministries. “These letters that we write to each other, even when it is early in the morning, never bear the brown seal of a cup of coffee nor the dried memory of a lingonberry jam,” remarks Mr. Vézina, in the ‘essay.
Climate exchanges
In addition to digital, the environmental issue also crosses the book of the two authors. Several missives begin with a description of the nature or the weather when they take up the pen. “What is happening now with climate change makes us say that this way we always talk about the weather, Quebecers, because we are very dependent on it, is perhaps deeper than that. it looks like it,” says Christian Vézina.
In the current context, Mr. Baillargeon maintains that it is not absurd to propose thinking more about degrowth, one of the proposed ministries. “I think there are few people who will disagree with the idea that the unbridled economic growth we are experiencing is unfortunately fueling global warming, and that is something very serious. »
Can we expect a continuation of New Ministries ? “No”, answer the poet and the philosopher in chorus. However, they would like to be able to discuss their essay, especially in schools. “I would really like a book like this to fall into the hands of CEGEP students. To animate the discussions, it seems to me that it would be great,” says Mr. Vézina.