tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4413130168723738166.post7596208237519903358..comments2024-02-26T00:59:26.907-08:00Comments on Ana the Imp: Oh, Brave New World!Anastasia F-Bhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01284602529524462457noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4413130168723738166.post-3731540415433769202010-05-24T05:09:42.795-07:002010-05-24T05:09:42.795-07:00This comment has been removed by the author.Fletch's Bloghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16402507296202065300noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4413130168723738166.post-17462545368821022672010-05-24T05:08:18.746-07:002010-05-24T05:08:18.746-07:00Normans always think about ideology, when they are...Normans always think about ideology, when they are not bashing oiks on the head, that is!Anastasia F-Bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01284602529524462457noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4413130168723738166.post-27807340643163206472010-05-21T16:36:11.233-07:002010-05-21T16:36:11.233-07:00This comment has been removed by the author.Fletch's Bloghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16402507296202065300noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4413130168723738166.post-52460603625576199952009-10-01T16:25:36.776-07:002009-10-01T16:25:36.776-07:00Jamie, yes, that's a super addition. I would ...Jamie, yes, that's a super addition. I would just add that this neo-utilitarianism has probably made us collectively <i>less</i> happy than previous generations. We have the worst of all worlds: little satisfaction in the material world coupled with a tremendous spiritual emptiness.Anastasia F-Bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01284602529524462457noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4413130168723738166.post-67497068162155294012009-10-01T02:03:14.967-07:002009-10-01T02:03:14.967-07:00Good morning, Ana.
Well, we are free to theoris...Good morning, Ana. <br /><br />Well, we are free to theorise on perfect worlds! Possibly the most democratic of them was Plato's, but even he had to admit that such a world would necessarily evolve to be, in essence, devoid of true freedom. Our own popular notions of Utopia, being too much fucused on technology, would be like Huxley's nightmare. <br /><br />You mention three possibilities for an ordered society, each badly flawed. May I hint at a fourth? <br /><br />Our notions of better living are conditioned (or even determined) by our state of knowledge concerning the desirable character of society and of the means of attainment. At present, we have two serious faults to contend with. First, we tend to see goodness in terms of the happiness arising from material comforts ; but there doesn't seem to be any sound evidence that we are much happier than past generations, who did not have all our material comforts. Second, we see the means of attainment as dependent on our current technology ; but our technology is immensly destructive of nature and also prone to generate unfortunate and serious side-effects. <br /><br />A fourth possibility anticipates a new paradigm for science, and hence a completely new technological foundation which does not rely on beating nature (including other people) into submission. This is a big topic, so I won't elaborate here.JMhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05770347372942866924noreply@blogger.com