Perpetual Childhood

This work, titled "Perpetual Childhood", is the third installment in the author's comprehensive exploration of human ignorance. Originally written in Persian under the title "کودک‌ماندگی" (Koudak-mandegi) and translated into English by the author, this document presents the Preface and the detailed conceptual framework of the study . The book investigates the phenomenon of "psychological immaturity", the persistent mismatch between chronological age and emotional or intellectual development . Drawing from a cross-cultural lens (Iranian and British), the author examines why adulthood does not automatically bring independent judgment. Key conceptual highlights include: * The Kantian Foundation: Grounded in Immanuel Kant’s definition of Enlightenment as the emergence from "self-imposed immaturity" . * Historical and Modern Perspectives: A survey of views on human growth from ancient civilizations to modern neuroscience and psychology, including figures like Freud, Jung, Piaget, and Vygotsky . * Phenomenology of Childishness: A classification of immaturity into 13 categories, such as moral disorders, pathological dependency, lack of rational thinking, and the inability to accept responsibility . * Individual and Social Parallels: Analysis of the correspondences between the immaturity of individuals and the underdevelopment or stagnation of societies . * Psychological Syndromes: Discussion on the Peter Pan and Wendy phenomena and the concept of Arrested Development . The work challenges readers to recognize their own childish tendencies as a necessary step toward achieving genuine intellectual and emotional maturity .