[RD] Why is there so much suffering in the world?
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Socrates99
Bottoms up!
Two words: primitive accumulation.
Well, we live in a world of natural evils. So, our suffering is tied to the ancient heritage of our neurobiology.
On top of that, we've been unable to convince each other to become sufficiently good.
A harsh universe coupled with a lack of goodness.
On top of that, we've been unable to convince each other to become sufficiently good.
A harsh universe coupled with a lack of goodness.
Well, some kill just cause that is what they do. Eg many types of ants will attack and kill other ants if the type is even slightly different. They often don't aim to take anything from them (eg take over a colony). So-called "military ants" are a very vicious example of this, they are nomadic and pretty much leave scores of bodies wherever they go.
Many reptiles are cannibalistic and actually will eat the young of the same species.
Wasps... does one even need to go there?
As for hunting for pleasure, there is always cats.
On the other hand they have never fought a war for eighty years over which branch of a religion was right.
sophie
Break My Heart
Structures of power, sustained by all manner of various mechanisms. But foremost to my mind (obviously) is capitalism.
I'm not saying that capitalism is the root of all our problems, nor am I saying that replacing capitalism with socialism of some kind would be a panacea that will cure everything. However, it's important to recognize that if you care about issues like racism, sexism, global warming, or undemocratic end-arounds ("corruption" if you subscribe to the Warren ideological lens), no meaningful change can occur to them unless and until you get rid of the capitalist structure which sustains and reinforces them. MLK recognized it. Malcom X recognized it. Gramsci recognized it. Rosa Luxembourg and Mother Jones recognized it. And so on and so on.
As to simple answers which will go a long way towards solving a lot of our immediate ills, I would say 1a) mass unionization on a global scale, but especially within the Western World, or else 1b) a far greater prevalence of worker-owned cooperatives (globally, but again - particularly in the US) coupled with a widespread nationalization of "commanding heights" industries. 2) The election of an US Presidential administration or series of administrations genuinely committed to a radical drawdown of US global interventionism and the Intelligence apparatus. 3) Wide-ranging reform of electoral or democratic structures, particularly in the US, but this also applies to other grossly undemocratic nation-states. 4) A wholesale dismantling of the IMF and World Bank, who play a considerable role in maintaining the gross economic inequality between the global North and the global South, and the vampiric exploitation of the same.
I'm not saying that capitalism is the root of all our problems, nor am I saying that replacing capitalism with socialism of some kind would be a panacea that will cure everything. However, it's important to recognize that if you care about issues like racism, sexism, global warming, or undemocratic end-arounds ("corruption" if you subscribe to the Warren ideological lens), no meaningful change can occur to them unless and until you get rid of the capitalist structure which sustains and reinforces them. MLK recognized it. Malcom X recognized it. Gramsci recognized it. Rosa Luxembourg and Mother Jones recognized it. And so on and so on.
As to simple answers which will go a long way towards solving a lot of our immediate ills, I would say 1a) mass unionization on a global scale, but especially within the Western World, or else 1b) a far greater prevalence of worker-owned cooperatives (globally, but again - particularly in the US) coupled with a widespread nationalization of "commanding heights" industries. 2) The election of an US Presidential administration or series of administrations genuinely committed to a radical drawdown of US global interventionism and the Intelligence apparatus. 3) Wide-ranging reform of electoral or democratic structures, particularly in the US, but this also applies to other grossly undemocratic nation-states. 4) A wholesale dismantling of the IMF and World Bank, who play a considerable role in maintaining the gross economic inequality between the global North and the global South, and the vampiric exploitation of the same.
True, yet afaik there are ongoing massive global wars between competing ant mega-colonies, while apes fight for all kinds of stuff, including ape trafficking for sexual purpose
I do think that - as sad as it is - humans are among the least unsavory creatures in this god-forsaken planet.
Like communism evolving to the ultimate where the state withers away.
Yeah, like that's going to happen. Those in power will hold on for dear life and suppress all that will challenge it.
I always liked some of the concepts until seeing this was the predicted final outcome. I just laughed.
Yeah, like that's going to happen. Those in power will hold on for dear life and suppress all that will challenge it.
I always liked some of the concepts until seeing this was the predicted final outcome. I just laughed.
True, yet afaik there are ongoing massive global wars between competing ant mega-colonies, while apes fight for all kinds of stuff, including ape trafficking for sexual purpose
I do think that - as sad as it is - humans are among the least unsavory creatures in this god-forsaken planet.
I wouldn't agree.
Animals do what they do out of instinct.
We decide something is wrong then come up with ridiculous justifications for why we should do it.
edit: Anything animals do we do. Plenty of human trafficking for sexual purposes going on.
sophie
Break My Heart
I feel capitalism is more a symptom rather than a cause, I feel that cause being greed and selfishness.
I feel our main hope for a better future is moving away from hierarchy.
Well that was what we studied back then so it's what I had the most experience with. So you are entitled to whatever forms you studied.
I was a socialist back in my polysci days. Reality changed that. But there are many different models to use. We're all entitled to our own opinions on it.
The most important book ever turns 160 this month
Kindness happens every day all over the world.
sophie
Break My Heart
...A Tale of Two Cities?
What we owe to each other
Tristan_C
Emperor
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Racism, sexism, and greed are strategic, evolved behaviors that vastly predate capitalism. There certainly is not a lick of evidence in history that capitalism gave rise to these. Such that it exists, man-made global warming comes from technologies and high population. There is not even a control group to indicate capitalist systems exacerbate the phenomena, because the entire world practices various mixed-market models that incorporate both capitalistic pricing and social institutions.
I think it would have been important for leftist thinkers to recognize even just a few basics about wealth, and the scientific explanations for things like racism and greed, before too many idiots bought their conclusions and ended up in the gulag.
For wealth, here is just one example of how goods can be characterized that helps explain why the world is mixed-market.
For examples see wikipedia about these four classifications. Prices are more effective than laws at distributing private goods, and laws are more effective than prices at distributing public goods. The common and club goods are best-distributed through a mix of pricing and recognizing legal privileges. This is not theory, but a post-evidentiary description of the world being a "mixed-market" system.
Tristan, when you say "effective", do you mean 'efficient' or 'productive'? The statement you made is theoretically true in certain framings of Pareto efficiency. But it's only true then under certain conditions.
Narz
keeping it real
Just read a really good book on this subject : Why Buddhism is True, it's called.
Basically natural selection has designed us to be selfishly focused on our own survival/procreation, focused on dissatisfaction rather than satisfaction (and overvaluing how much satisfaction we will get from achievement and overestimating how long it will last).
In other words, we are programmed for optimal survival (long enuf to breed), not optimal happiness. A being who harbors equal goodwill to others as himself and other tribes as much as his own... well, that guy is not our ancestor.
The author's prescription is mindfulness meditation which can give us more of a glimpse into the truth that our egocentric views of reality are not accurate and our cravings & strivings for power/status/etc lead to our suffering.
The whole "is true" isn't talking about the mystical parts of Buddhism but the core assertions that cravings lead to suffering & emptiness (lack of "essence") is truth (that all the labels we put on reality are self-serving).
I'm not descripting it that well but great read and on topic for this question.
Basically natural selection has designed us to be selfishly focused on our own survival/procreation, focused on dissatisfaction rather than satisfaction (and overvaluing how much satisfaction we will get from achievement and overestimating how long it will last).
In other words, we are programmed for optimal survival (long enuf to breed), not optimal happiness. A being who harbors equal goodwill to others as himself and other tribes as much as his own... well, that guy is not our ancestor.
The author's prescription is mindfulness meditation which can give us more of a glimpse into the truth that our egocentric views of reality are not accurate and our cravings & strivings for power/status/etc lead to our suffering.
The whole "is true" isn't talking about the mystical parts of Buddhism but the core assertions that cravings lead to suffering & emptiness (lack of "essence") is truth (that all the labels we put on reality are self-serving).
I'm not descripting it that well but great read and on topic for this question.
