On 4/28/19 12:15 PM, Amir Taaki wrote:
> Greta Thunberg, extinction rebellion .etc is such a blatant guerilla
> marketing campaign. The European parliament, and the UN, invite her to
> speak. "You have the power to fix this" she says. Not that she's saying
> "we have the power". She wants the state to fix the problem. What is the
> end result of all this? Totalitarianism.

+1. Although we can also interpret this message as a "sweet" class
threat of those who do not have the power to those who have it: "If you
do not do it now, in an orderly, civilized and peaceful way, maybe we
have to do it on a future (maybe in this way, or maybe not)"

> It's too easy to look for a
> simple fix, but then you are just the plaything of power. First we must
> deepen our perspective. Philosophy is your saviour. Then you will have
> the power to direct your action. Do you want to change the world? Then
> lets become the best human beings we can be first - mentally, physically
> and spiritually.

Totally agree on that. Here we are discussing individual ethical norms
that go back to the pillars of human behavior, which, due to the number
of humans and their relationship system, typical of mammals, can pose a
content problem for the continent. And I think we have to keep in mind
that the fact of "destroying the planet", whether it is real or not,
drives us to continue advancing and expanding our horizons, both
physical and mental.

> There's no good and evil, just humans.

Not only "just humans", but, a system created by and for humans, that
does not include anything else and that by its egoistic character
finally becomes destructive. It's so basic and complex at the same time,
like that.

The answer to the big problems is in the small details. The response of
the collective is in the individual. The answer of space is on earth,
etc. I think we look for answers in the same places that we find the
questions and forget (at least the scientific people) the connected
character of everything. The scientific method analyzes the concrete and
sometimes, isolating something for its study, does not allow us to
understand it at all. Although, this is better than directly thinking
about magical people and worlds superior that rules us.

> And we must
> first aspire to the good. As Nietzsche said "When you stare into the
> abyss, the abyss will stare back at you". He meant that when you fight
> evil, you become evil.

Which does not mean it's bad. Maybe the "good" people have to lie (and
do something that the "bad" people do) to the rest, so that all can be
realized (save themselves from extinction).

The Christians call this the "pious lie", although, one must take
extreme care in it, since the "collateral damage" that Bush talked about
could lead to something worse.

From the political point of view, we talk about the ideas of Hobbes, in
which, not all humanity is prepared to face the challenges of it and
therefore, the other party must consider it (or from a point of view of
the compassion, or from a point of view of destruction in exchange for
salvation) and here we enter into the darkest dilemmas of humanity,
which include, among others, eliminating part of it.

My personal opinion is that nothing is left over, or anyone. Life is too
complex to understand, including extinction. Since perhaps, if there is
a plan, it has the same within it (as happens with the dinosaurs), and
if not, simply, who is killed is because he deserves it. And here, we
can have a reference to Darwin theories.