ysabetwordsmith | Philosophical Questions: Avoidable

You're viewing

ysabetwordsmith's journal
Create a Dreamwidth Account Learn More

Reload page in style: site light

People have expressed interest in deep topics, so this list focuses on philosophical questions.

What causes the most harm in the world, but is completely avoidable?

Gosh, that's a hard one. Personal vices leap readily to mind, like adultery and alcohol. But then there are things like climate change, which is created by humans, who could choose to stop pushing in that direction but won't.

Current Mood: busy

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

siliconshaman

Human greed hits the top spot there, IMO. Which covers a lot of the ills of the world, including climate change.

I'm not a stoic, but I do believe that learning self-discipline from an early age would be a good way to counter that. Too many so-called 'adult' people with all the self-control of spoiled hangry toddler and the social consciousness of an incontinent over-bred poodle on a bowling green.

From:

acelightning2

Sheer selfishness has a lot to answer for. We see our country being run by people who have the personality of narcissistic two-year-olds who missed their nap, and keep whining and pestering for more toys, more ice cream, and more adoration. Whatever happened to "love thy neighbor", or "share with those less fortunate than yourself"? or "give me your tired, your poor"? How in the name of humanity can we break an entire planetful of people of their infantile selfishness?

From:

dialecticdreamer

Ignorance is inevitable, but it is also minimizable. If a culture refuses to give half their population any education beyond third or fourth grade (from age 6-7 to the onset of menses for the individual), that's an awful lot of ignorance compared to a very small amount of education.

If a culture insists on teaching a male-centric history, science, and political theater, that harms EVERYONE living in the culture. (Quick, name a female mathematician. Or a female Nobel laureate. How about a female Congressional representative?) Yes, I am implying that my own culture is promulgating this particular type of ignorance. And that I am trying to fight it, individually.

In terms of inevitability, yeah, we don't know enough to map out what we don't know, as a species. But the way that we approach that ignorance MATTERS.

That's where I think that humans have the most potential for change.

I try to hope so, at least.

From:

acelightning2

Quick, name a female mathematician. Emmy Knuth
Or a female Nobel laureate.Maria Sklodovxka Curie
How about a female Congressional representative? Jasmine Crocket

From:

dialecticdreamer

LOL. We matched on 2 of the 3. I couldn't think of a mathematician!

The biases are in part still so strong because we are discouraged from looking for the curtains blocking off a larger world of historical events and accomplishments.

From:

acelightning2

My husband has an old math book from when he was in college and it mentions Emmy Knuth, who was considered "mannish" in her mathematical proficiency. I am incapable of understanding any form of math myself, which is why I never managed to become a physicist

From:

dialecticdreamer

Laugh. Yeah. My brain just refuses to work with geometry. It's an organic issue; I didn't know right from left until I learned the words in Spanish. (This was NOT in elementary school, btw.) It created an entirely DIFFERENT pathway, and now, if someone gives me directions, I repeat them in Spanish and can work with them. If I don't, I'm a goner.

I have proof: on Friday at the doctor's office, the tech just waved vaguely and said "meet me at your room" and I got so lost that I had to ask another staff member to guide me back to the correct side of the building.