Hey all, I got interviewed on a podcast.] <– click here
It’s very new, and the discussion includes some local things, but if you have an hour of your life that you won’t want back, this is as good a way to spend it as any. I came with some ideas, but he took it into my “journey out of religion”. We covered a lot of ground. I sum it up in the comment:
To tie this all together, the reason for caring for others is that others cared for us. As we expand who we help, who we educate, more people will be able to use their skills effectively and find their best fit in the world. As we have done this, for example, women have become more empowered, giving them the right to control their own reproductive choices. So, counter-intuitively, helping people who are having lots of babies results in decreasing population.
As people see a world of hope, where their children will survive and help each other, they don't see the need to have lots of children. Educating each other, empowering each other, leads to people making better choices for leadership, instead of feeling the need to join a paramilitary group and tear down governments.
We can do this on the world scale, bringing appropriate technology where it is needed, as well as across the table from each other, listening intently, and teaching instead of fighting.
That was an hour well spent. I’ve subscribed to the podcast and your blog.
The early Christian church thrived largely because of the community support it provided people who received no such support from society at large. Over the next few centuries it transformed into a monolithic organization controlling people through edicts and violence. I agree with you that we should care for others because others cared for ur. That’s how we develop community and help each other not just survive physically, but emotionally as well. I also agree that looking for meaning in life is a mistake. Life means only what we put into it. Some of us look at life as a gift to cherish for good or bad. Others cannot get past the bad and ignore the beauty, wonder and bonds we can share with our fellow humans.
It all comes back to community. Without community we are lone wolves seeking nothing more than a meager existence. With community we can build upon one another’s wisdom and knowledge and make the world a better place.
Haven’t listened yet but wanted to commend both posters on their insight. Cooperation is scientifically well recognized as a significant contributor to evolutionary “fitness”, even across species. It seems poorly recognized by most commentators on evolution but once recognized makes a compelling argument for good and considerate behavior in our world. Furthermore, morality is largely about how we interact with others in ways that are beneficial. I believe it is thus possible to explain our moral stance in terms of optimizing function of a population.
Yes, feeding, housing and educating more of the world’s population may well speed our journey into the future (perhaps more accurate than our journey to a better world) and seems like a great investment to make.