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Nothing is Worse than Excellent Marketing for a Bad Product

Date
October 11, 2023
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Marketing Cannot Replace Morality: WHY THE #IDGs ARE WRONG

Otti Vogt in his Linkedin article appreciates the intentions and convictions behind the "Inner Development Goals", but advocates that his audience must seek to address some of their fundamental flaws. Those can be summarized in the follow manner:

  1. Questionable Alignment with the SDGs:
    • IDGs align with the SDGs without scrutinizing their underlying ethics and coherence.
    • The SDGs are criticized for being an incoherent set of objectives, potentially serving as a smokescreen for maintaining existing power and societal structures.
    • The lack of critical engagement with the SDGs means IDGs might inadvertently support existing inequalities and fail to bring transformative change.
  2. Simplistic Development Approach:
    • The development approach of IDGs, driven by a team of PhD students and inputs from development experts worldwide, is criticized for its simplistic clustering analysis.
    • The method lacks scientific validation and simplifies the complex nature of individual and collective development.
    • Expert input is assumed to be universally valid and commensurable, neglecting potential bias and lack of universal applicability.
    • The resulting framework lacks interdependencies and is seen as an amalgamation of skills and tools with inadequate foundational coherence.
  3. Modernity and Self-Centeredness:
    • Despite intentions of promoting collective success through self-improvement, the IDGs are criticized for being rooted in modernity and fostering a culture that could be perceived as self-centered.
    • There’s an incongruity in promoting "inner development" with goal-setting, and a tension between personal freedom and collective responsibility.
    • The model inadvertently might promote a culture of “heroic self-centeredness” instead of moral development, assuming that self-realization will inherently lead to a more caring and just world without sufficiently addressing systemic issues.

In conclusion, while the IDGs may possess noble intentions, the article asserts that their approach needs urgent revision and a more profound philosophical and ethical foundation to truly drive transformative change and avoid perpetuating existing societal and power structures.

Otti’s full article can be found here:

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