What is going wrong here ??

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16 Oct 2007, 6:17 pm

What is humanity's biggest problem ??
/
What is the root cause of humanity's worst problems today ??
/
What is humanity's problem at the root ??
/
Why are we going wrong ??

Trying to get at one question here , not sure how to word it . . . I am talking more cause , than effect , if that helps .

nominalist
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16 Oct 2007, 8:48 pm

BrownieCharles wrote:

What is humanity's biggest problem ??
/
What is the root cause of humanity's worst problems today ??

IMO, the answer to both those questions is linguistic realism - the dangerous belief that the words we use and the categories with which we construct what we call "reality" are real things. It is, however, the words used by the people in power which have the greatest influence and are, potentially, the most dangerous.

Bush, for example, has referred to a "war on terror." Not only does he get to define the terrorists, but he has the bully pulpit to condemn those who disagree with him as unpatriotic, anti-American, etc.

Once we recognize that the words and categories used by people are not real, we are free - free to work with others to linguistically construct social realities which better suit our views and objectives.

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RadiantAspie
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16 Oct 2007, 9:02 pm

The root of all evil lies in human stupidity. Most people just can't think for themselves, and go out of their way to ensure that they don't.

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Angelus-Mortis
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17 Oct 2007, 10:13 am

nominalist wrote:

BrownieCharles wrote:

What is humanity's biggest problem ??
/
What is the root cause of humanity's worst problems today ??

This might be similar to the way people treat the bible or any other holy text as the truth--this is all an assumption, which is that you must believe everything you hear. Or if you say it well, people rely on their emotions to believe it is true, and making assumptions without confirming them does indeed make for an awful equation. One that is too irrational for me to compute.

The novel called The Chrysalids dwells on this concept too.

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nominalist
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17 Oct 2007, 10:26 am

Angelus-Mortis wrote:

Exactly. Even treating "the Bible" as a thing (talking about what "it" says) is absurd. First, the Bible is not a text. It is a name given to at least four compilations (canons) of texts. Second, pretending to understand a collections of texts written by ancient peoples, without even having a knowledge of the languages they used, is nonsensical.

Quote:

The novel called The Chrysalids dwells on this concept too.

Thank you. I will see what I can find out about it.

ouinon
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17 Oct 2007, 11:39 am

BrownieCharles wrote:

What is humanity's biggest problem/ the root cause of humanity's worst problems today/ humanity's problem at the root/reason why we going wrong ??

My theory is that the root cause is something that people first ate 15,000 years ago, which they shouldn't have ! !
I believe that a huge factor in humanity's worst problems is :

Gluten (a protein found in wheat, rye and oats; the largest protein we ever eat)

and its pseudo-opiate effect

of alienation/out-of-body/headiness/disconnection from feelings of self and others

on people with genetically-determined intolerance/allergy to wheat,

and their subsequent actions and behaviours in life!! !

( Ever since glutenous grains first evolved in the "Fertile Crescent" , in the middle east , about 15,000 years ago, and provoked the neolithic revolution of the first farming, rectangular houses and gods!! )

I'm serious !

Coyote27
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17 Oct 2007, 6:41 pm

ouinon wrote:

Gluten (a protein found in wheat, rye and oats; the largest protein we ever eat)

and its pseudo-opiate effect

of alienation/out-of-body/headiness/disconnection from feelings of self and others

*goes to health-foods store to score some of this*

wsmac
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17 Oct 2007, 7:31 pm

BrownieCharles wrote:

Having a conscience.
Without that, there'd be no problem! :twisted:

Either that or perhaps the ability to believe in one's own thoughts so stridently that other's will either believe, conform or perish.
This works with religion as well as politics... just so's you know!

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Pandora
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25 Oct 2007, 6:41 am

Selfishness and greed lead to all kinds of social ills such as wars, organised (and disorganised) crime, overwork (leading to health problems and premature death from stress-related illness), pollution and depletion of natural resources.

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Joybob
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25 Oct 2007, 1:09 pm

Irrationality as nurtured and encouraged by religious thought.

peebo
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25 Oct 2007, 4:45 pm

nominalist wrote:

IMO, the answer to both those questions is linguistic realism - the dangerous belief that the words we use and the categories with which we construct what we call "reality" are real things....

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nominalist
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25 Oct 2007, 4:49 pm

Right, it is a picture or drawing of a pipe, but it is merely an indicant (indicator).

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