Removed: I was troubled at the time of writing. I feel sick... Now back to the grind, eyes down, hands busy, mind filled with what they want me to think...
I'm scared, Sam. Really, I am. I've changed a lot since freshman year. Back then, I wasn't interested in politics to the least. But now that I am becoming interested, my ideas manifest as evil, sick plans. For me, humanism and spirituality aid in avoiding such ideas. Lately, my faith in God, the world, and myself has been shaken...
For a second I thought I was becoming like Hitler, but now I see that I really am human after all. It's a great relief.
Hitler was human too, which is the truly scary thing about him...and Stalin, and Mao, and Pol Pot. They all chose evil, utilitarian methods to achieve their aims, driven by ideology. Which is why we have to be wary of arguments based on purely utilitarian motivations, and leaven them with some moral & ethical yeast.
Wow, that scares me even more. I don't know how I lost touch with morals and ethics...
This whole thing began on the LRT. A woman, a self-proclaiming liberal, mentioned how humans are destroying the environment and how nobody should have children. I guess I just wanted to see how one could view the world under such a lense.
I don't think you did, because you realized the problem with that chain of logic. For other examples of where that kind of asshattery thinking leads, watch Twelve Monkeys or read Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six.
Funny, someone the other day recommended Rainbow Six to me. I think I'll go pick it up later, since I was planning on making a journey over the the library anyway. Of course, I have two other books to read for school this weekend... ^^;
The fact that you see the problem with the way those ideals would play out goes to show that you are human, not on the physical level, but emotionally. When I look at those arguments, I think, "Well, survival of the fittest and all. What makes us more fit than any other animal? We technically are lower than most species on the food chain, so why do all animals fear us?" So when I see it, I realize that the reason we are so high up in the world is not because humans are so great, because we really aren't. The reason we are is because we found resources and have used them to death, in some cases. We really have destroyed this world. So, the problem then becomes, how do we keep the standards that we are so used to without putting ourselves out of existence. You've seen a small "problem" with the way that humans interact with the world, found a solution, and then realized the inherent real problems with that. We need more people like you Damon. People who are willing to think those scary thoughts and then realize what they've
( ... )
Yeah, maybe it wasn't so bad to think it... I shouldn't have expressed it though. I feel like shit now.
I really don't care about politics, or at least that's what I've told myself throughout my life. I also could care less about social order. Heck, it's probably just because I'm taking sociology now. Things are so much happier and less complicated if one just ignores problems, leaves them as they are. Others can deal with the troubles of the world later.
It is not always survival of the fittest. It is survival of those most able to pass on their genes. The more money and resources humans are able to control, the less traditional "disabilities" are able to affect quality of life. The ironic thing is how the most "fit" members of society--those with the most money, intelligence, talent--are statistically least likely to pass on their genes.
It's one of those things we have to face. Eventually, some people will die. It isn't about who should or shouldn't, because we have enough resources to support the current population of the world, but some people aren't getting their fair share, and those are the people who WILL die. Much as I'd like to change it, that's the way the world works.
The top very top tier is losing population through increased birth control. The very bottom tier is dying off from starvation. That leaves humanity with the middle.
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Hitler was human too, which is the truly scary thing about him...and Stalin, and Mao, and Pol Pot. They all chose evil, utilitarian methods to achieve their aims, driven by ideology. Which is why we have to be wary of arguments based on purely utilitarian motivations, and leaven them with some moral & ethical yeast.
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This whole thing began on the LRT. A woman, a self-proclaiming liberal, mentioned how humans are destroying the environment and how nobody should have children. I guess I just wanted to see how one could view the world under such a lense.
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I really don't care about politics, or at least that's what I've told myself throughout my life. I also could care less about social order. Heck, it's probably just because I'm taking sociology now. Things are so much happier and less complicated if one just ignores problems, leaves them as they are. Others can deal with the troubles of the world later.
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It's one of those things we have to face. Eventually, some people will die. It isn't about who should or shouldn't, because we have enough resources to support the current population of the world, but some people aren't getting their fair share, and those are the people who WILL die. Much as I'd like to change it, that's the way the world works.
The top very top tier is losing population through increased birth control. The very bottom tier is dying off from starvation. That leaves humanity with the middle.
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