Wonderer
9th April 2009, 02:57
Why should society exist?
What should society strive for?
Taking the broadest of perspectives, our ancestors lived communally simply for survival purposes. There are safety in numbers, food is more easily found with more eyes and brains, reproduction is expanded.
We live in society because it makes sense. by working together, sharing and trading knowledge and goods we can create more for ourselves than if living in some mountain shack.
Basically we seek to make our lives better; it's easier.
We as humans want easy lives. We want easy lives because a minimization of displeasure means there is more room for pleasure, which by definition is good.
I could say society should be about creating an easy life, but i think that is still a bit narrow.
Why is an easy painless life good? why is pleasure good?
It is an effect on our consciousness. They affect our moods, our level of happiness, and our very thoughts.
There is an inherent value in every conscious human. Each person experiences both pain and pleasure, both positive and negative emotions. Each person has their own set of desires. Everybody values themselves and values something.
When it comes down to it, it makes sense to live communally because it furthers our desires, which makes us happy.
In this sense society ought to be about producing happiness...
Not like Spocks needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few codswallop. One persons happiness or displeasure should not be placed above or below the happiness or displeasure of 1, 10, 100, 100, or one million people (etc..)...
Put yourself in the shoes of the one person who is supposed to die.
...
It's possible to consider every action selfish...
It never was "ask yourself what you can do for your country"
It always was and always will be "GOD DAMMIT COUNTRY GIVE ME MORE!!!"
And it ought to be so...
Now this may sound anti-socialist in the sense that people aren't easily persuaded with the idea of giving to the community, but once we see we are all eating from the same pot, we realize if we contribute more and take reasonable portions, we can all have more.
I guess I'm saying we're all hedonists in a way. I envy people living in the jungle working 3-4 hours a day chopping palm trees and shooting blow darts in spider monkeys. (too much?)
What should society strive for?
Taking the broadest of perspectives, our ancestors lived communally simply for survival purposes. There are safety in numbers, food is more easily found with more eyes and brains, reproduction is expanded.
We live in society because it makes sense. by working together, sharing and trading knowledge and goods we can create more for ourselves than if living in some mountain shack.
Basically we seek to make our lives better; it's easier.
We as humans want easy lives. We want easy lives because a minimization of displeasure means there is more room for pleasure, which by definition is good.
I could say society should be about creating an easy life, but i think that is still a bit narrow.
Why is an easy painless life good? why is pleasure good?
It is an effect on our consciousness. They affect our moods, our level of happiness, and our very thoughts.
There is an inherent value in every conscious human. Each person experiences both pain and pleasure, both positive and negative emotions. Each person has their own set of desires. Everybody values themselves and values something.
When it comes down to it, it makes sense to live communally because it furthers our desires, which makes us happy.
In this sense society ought to be about producing happiness...
Not like Spocks needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few codswallop. One persons happiness or displeasure should not be placed above or below the happiness or displeasure of 1, 10, 100, 100, or one million people (etc..)...
Put yourself in the shoes of the one person who is supposed to die.
...
It's possible to consider every action selfish...
It never was "ask yourself what you can do for your country"
It always was and always will be "GOD DAMMIT COUNTRY GIVE ME MORE!!!"
And it ought to be so...
Now this may sound anti-socialist in the sense that people aren't easily persuaded with the idea of giving to the community, but once we see we are all eating from the same pot, we realize if we contribute more and take reasonable portions, we can all have more.
I guess I'm saying we're all hedonists in a way. I envy people living in the jungle working 3-4 hours a day chopping palm trees and shooting blow darts in spider monkeys. (too much?)