quote:

Originally posted by Ou Be Low hoo
I know some people here have said it is futile to discuss 'why', but this is the Philosophy Forum so no other question exists...

Your thoughts...?

quote:

Originally posted by Ou Be Low hoo
I'm going to start off by apologising, as I don't want to get bogged down in an argument regarding semantics...Sometimes I am an anal idiot and I know this...other times I am merely being facetious...

As for 'ethereal evolution'...it sounds nice, but I'm not a religious man, so I have no comprehension of that term.

Anyway...I have no illusions of grandeur in regards to this thread or this question...It was just something I have been thinking about recently as a result of the news and a book I've been reading...

I also appreciate that there is no definitive answer to the question, but I view debating as a way of either substantiating your own opinion or broadening it in light of the opinion of others...If I don't agree with a statement made, I will say so, but then I will wait for a response to see if it can change my conviction...That is the reason I sometimes will go a little OTT - just to see the faith other people have in their convictions...

Anyway, all this has been a little too soberly self-indulgent on my part, so enough about me and back to the discussion...

I read this passage recently:

'Another war is always coming. They are never properly extinguished. What sparks wars? The will to power, the backbone of human nature. The threat of violence, the fear of violence, or actual violence, is the instrument of this dreadful will. You can see the will to power in bedrooms, kitchens, factories, unions and the borders of states. Listen to this and remember it. The nation state is merely human nature inflated to monstrous proportions. QED, nations are entities whose laws are written by violence. Thus it ever was, so ever shall it be. War is humanity's eternal companion.'

So, even though I originally argues against it, perhaps 'power' is the ultimate corrupter of humanity's search for peace.

I know some people here have said it is futile to discuss 'why', but this is the Philosophy Forum so no other question exists...

Your thoughts...?

quote:

Originally posted by Darth Revan
If you consistently insist on knowing WHY everything is the way it is, you will never get anywhere. For example, I can look at my hand, and wonder why it is shaped that way. I could say, "well, because apes' hands are shaped similarly and we evolved from them". Then I could ask myself why apes' hands are shaped that way. I could then say, "well, because they serve many practical purposes, like manipulating small objects." Then I could ask myself WHY they need to manipulate small objects. "well, because sometimes that can prove useful for things like getting food and eating it." "but WHY do apes need to eat food?" "because they would die if they didn't." "But WHY would they die if they didn't?" "Because that's the way they were designed." "But WHY were they designed that way?" "Because the way animal's bodies work is an efficient method of survival." "But WHY is it an efficient method of survival?" "There are many reasons." "But WHY are there many reasons?" "Because they are complex organisms." "But WHY are they complex organisms?".... See what I mean? I could go on forever like that, and I've completely lost sight of the original question. It's pointless, because you'll never reach a conclusion, you'll just go around in circles forever and never get anywhere. At some point you have to stop questioning why things are the way they are and just accept it.

IE, there are assholes in the world, and that's just the way things are, and it's impossible to say why.

quote:

Originally posted by Capt_Fantastic
I can agree with your quote, only in that war will always be with us. However, I differ in that war is a broad term. Simple arguments are the foundation of such things.

quote:

Originally posted by Ou Be Low hoo
I think the quote is arguing this precise point - that individual human nature is reflected in the the behaviour of the powers that govern us...If individuals argue, then governments simply do the same on a much larger scale...

However, I think public out-pourings of support in times of global crisis' - Tsunami donations, for example - show that perhaps, humans have a greater capacity for empathy than our goverments give us credit for...

quote:

Originally posted by shaber
I don't think there would be outpourings over the Tsunami business if people weren't encouraged to react this way via the media channels.

quote:

Originally posted by shaber
If the media had encouraged contempt for the outcomes may would have reacted accordingly.

quote:

Originally posted by Philosophicus
We can never just all get along - that's a utopia.