You know, this model of reality is really not true—but before you cut me off as one of the great majority that does as it’s taught, I’d like to point out that I disagree for reasons unlike those that you probably encounter most of the time. I don’t think that reality is better than what you claim, and I’m not going to say that you’re nuts. Unfortunately, I think that reality is worse than what you just said. Please take the time to read my post and hear me out, because I feel that this is important.
There is no conspiracy. There is no system, or at least not one that we can control. There is no one group that controls all world events. It’s just people all the way down. And people are irrational, weak-minded, hypocritical, obsessed with status, and prone to making the same mistakes over and over again.
Conspiracy theories are actually optimistic, not pessimistic. If your model of the world were true, it would be easier to solve the world’s problems than it actually is. All we would need to do is take out the guys at the top—the corrupt corporate dictators who control the law, the industry, and the world economy—and either tear down the system or take the helm and steer it towards good. In short, if we just eliminated or deposed those who act to enforce scarcity, a golden age of technological abundance would be ours to take.
But this will never happen. You mentioned a potential “opportunity to destroy an organization that kills hundreds of thousands of people,” but no such opportunity will ever arise, because there is no such organization, or if there is it is not unique and a new one will rise in its place. Indeed, hundreds of thousands of people die every day, and not because the evil overlords demand that this must be so, but because mankind is far from the conditions of natural adaptation. We are not optimized to live in modern society—indeed, many elements of modern society run counter to everything that our bodies and minds were designed for—and the vast, vast majority of people aren’t even aware of this. People trust their intuitions, rely on their instincts, cling to that which has been passed down from their ancestors—and much of the information derived from these methods is wrong, and has been wrong for years and years, and leads only to ruin.
That being said, that doesn’t mean that we have to stay that way. You’ve found your way to this site, which is the first step. Stay here, read the sequences, practice he art of human rationality as best you are able—in time, you will be able to see that which most have missed. You will be able to correct their errors. Indeed, you will be able to guide others to the path, and help them become capable of correcting their own errors. After all, thousands of years of history show that, when left to our own devices, we merely repeat our same mistakes, but on grander scales—it is only by raising the “sanity waterline” of mankind as a whole that we can hope to see people truly change.
It’s a frightening world out there, and not one that we’ll be able to redeem by one noble sacrifice. Indeed, the struggle to create a sane society will be one of the hardest if not the hardest thing that man has ever done. But I staunchly believe that we’re up to the task. After all, I know of no other time in human history that a community like this has existed—a community designed to advance the art of human rationality and conquer the petty insanities that have doomed so many over the years, and a community that is organized using modern methods and draws from the principles of science and rationality to target those insanities precisely. As a result, this community is uniquely poised to strike out against insanity, against war, against death itself, and yes—against “the system.” For every system is composed of people, and if the people that make up that system come to understand that there is a better way, it will prove unable to hold itself up.
Yes, we are living in interesting times here (as the old curse goes), and participating in an exciting and indeed critical task—the most important task ever confronted by mankind. I hope that you’ll join us and come to be a part of it.
This comment appeals to my aesthetics in a way I did not previously predict I could be appealed to. I think it should be tidied up a bit to make more sense out of context, and recorded as a speech in ringing tones and put on Youtube.
Well, the pervasive flaws in how our societies work creates competition, which will inevitably make people conspire against each other. Conspiracy theories are optimistic in that they often single out a single organization as the bad guys, when really what is needed to improve our lives and ensure our race survives as long as possible is drastic universal change in human culture.
I’m aware of what you say. I’m sorry if I didn’t convey that in my previous comment. We won’t solve the problem by simply removing those who are most greedy (they are there, of course, and always have been) from their positions of power, because we too, are greedy. Like you say, humanity has to become more aware and rational, and learn to cooperate, because we all live in symbiosis with each other and everything else in the universe(s). There are still those with a lot of power who for some reason fight against this for monetary gain though. But in the end, they rely on other people to keep their system(s) in place. If people start being rational and think about what they’re being told to do, and how society functions, then they’ll soon find themselves with much less power, no matter how much money they have.
I will certainly study human rationality, but I will also study what technology can do for our future, in projects like ‘The Venus Project’. If I find these things promising and useful, I’ll spread the knowledge of them to the best of my ability.
You know, this model of reality is really not true—but before you cut me off as one of the great majority that does as it’s taught, I’d like to point out that I disagree for reasons unlike those that you probably encounter most of the time. I don’t think that reality is better than what you claim, and I’m not going to say that you’re nuts. Unfortunately, I think that reality is worse than what you just said. Please take the time to read my post and hear me out, because I feel that this is important.
There is no conspiracy. There is no system, or at least not one that we can control. There is no one group that controls all world events. It’s just people all the way down. And people are irrational, weak-minded, hypocritical, obsessed with status, and prone to making the same mistakes over and over again.
Conspiracy theories are actually optimistic, not pessimistic. If your model of the world were true, it would be easier to solve the world’s problems than it actually is. All we would need to do is take out the guys at the top—the corrupt corporate dictators who control the law, the industry, and the world economy—and either tear down the system or take the helm and steer it towards good. In short, if we just eliminated or deposed those who act to enforce scarcity, a golden age of technological abundance would be ours to take.
But this will never happen. You mentioned a potential “opportunity to destroy an organization that kills hundreds of thousands of people,” but no such opportunity will ever arise, because there is no such organization, or if there is it is not unique and a new one will rise in its place. Indeed, hundreds of thousands of people die every day, and not because the evil overlords demand that this must be so, but because mankind is far from the conditions of natural adaptation. We are not optimized to live in modern society—indeed, many elements of modern society run counter to everything that our bodies and minds were designed for—and the vast, vast majority of people aren’t even aware of this. People trust their intuitions, rely on their instincts, cling to that which has been passed down from their ancestors—and much of the information derived from these methods is wrong, and has been wrong for years and years, and leads only to ruin.
That being said, that doesn’t mean that we have to stay that way. You’ve found your way to this site, which is the first step. Stay here, read the sequences, practice he art of human rationality as best you are able—in time, you will be able to see that which most have missed. You will be able to correct their errors. Indeed, you will be able to guide others to the path, and help them become capable of correcting their own errors. After all, thousands of years of history show that, when left to our own devices, we merely repeat our same mistakes, but on grander scales—it is only by raising the “sanity waterline” of mankind as a whole that we can hope to see people truly change.
It’s a frightening world out there, and not one that we’ll be able to redeem by one noble sacrifice. Indeed, the struggle to create a sane society will be one of the hardest if not the hardest thing that man has ever done. But I staunchly believe that we’re up to the task. After all, I know of no other time in human history that a community like this has existed—a community designed to advance the art of human rationality and conquer the petty insanities that have doomed so many over the years, and a community that is organized using modern methods and draws from the principles of science and rationality to target those insanities precisely. As a result, this community is uniquely poised to strike out against insanity, against war, against death itself, and yes—against “the system.” For every system is composed of people, and if the people that make up that system come to understand that there is a better way, it will prove unable to hold itself up.
Yes, we are living in interesting times here (as the old curse goes), and participating in an exciting and indeed critical task—the most important task ever confronted by mankind. I hope that you’ll join us and come to be a part of it.
This comment appeals to my aesthetics in a way I did not previously predict I could be appealed to. I think it should be tidied up a bit to make more sense out of context, and recorded as a speech in ringing tones and put on Youtube.
Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. And also: yes.
I suspect this is why they are popular: a belief in a coherent enemy is emotionally satisfying compared to a belief in a pervasive flaw.
Well, the pervasive flaws in how our societies work creates competition, which will inevitably make people conspire against each other. Conspiracy theories are optimistic in that they often single out a single organization as the bad guys, when really what is needed to improve our lives and ensure our race survives as long as possible is drastic universal change in human culture.
Related short story.
I love it.
I’m aware of what you say. I’m sorry if I didn’t convey that in my previous comment. We won’t solve the problem by simply removing those who are most greedy (they are there, of course, and always have been) from their positions of power, because we too, are greedy. Like you say, humanity has to become more aware and rational, and learn to cooperate, because we all live in symbiosis with each other and everything else in the universe(s). There are still those with a lot of power who for some reason fight against this for monetary gain though. But in the end, they rely on other people to keep their system(s) in place. If people start being rational and think about what they’re being told to do, and how society functions, then they’ll soon find themselves with much less power, no matter how much money they have.
I will certainly study human rationality, but I will also study what technology can do for our future, in projects like ‘The Venus Project’. If I find these things promising and useful, I’ll spread the knowledge of them to the best of my ability.