ThirstyFish

I can hear some of you saying, oh no, philosophy again. Sorry but this one's kind of important.

"Kill, or BE KillED. it's life!". Is it? This idea, that life is a competition for survival, a fight to the end, has become the dominant meme of our times. TV shows repeat it, philosophers speak about it, economists live by it. Either you win, or you lose. Most of us adopt this idea without a second thought. This new "morality", or as some like to put it "immorality", is founded on ideas and philosophies such as Marquis de Sade's freedom unrestrained by morality or religion, Friedrich Nietzsche's concept of Superman, and the misinterpretation of Charles Darwin's survival of the fittest. Whatever the philosophical basis is, approaching life as a game of death is deeply flawed.

Interpreting the concept of survival of the fittest as Social Darwinism, to justify Laissez-faire Economics, scientific racism or imperialism is not even a naturalistic fallacy. More and more studies suggest that nature does not work that way. Frans de Waal, in a recent TED Talk titled Moral Behavior in Animals, argues that morality is actually a part of the evolutionary process. To suggest that those that are behind should forever be left behind, a common political rhetoric these days, is a formula for self-destruction. Empathy, fairness and cooperation are essential for a healthy society, but more importantly, these are essential for a healthy mind. Without empathy and fairness, the mind drifts towards apathy, antipathy, fear and paranoia, which in turn reduces the individuals quality of life. And as repeatedly proven by history, a society that lacks empathy and fairness can at most survive a few generations. So much to say, so little time...

[Bainbridge and 6th Street]

Song of the Day: Megalomania - Black Sabbath (1975)