May 1, 2013
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Modern International Morality
There seems to have been a change in Morality as viewed in many developed nations - probably due to more intense competition for economic hegemony.
There has been a move away from the idea that "Civil Rights" are the natural rights due everyone - the idea of "Right to Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness" which modern history has seen as applying to every individual, not just a privileged few. This idea has led to many popular uprisings in the past couple of hundred years and the gradual growth of at least nominally democratic governments around the world.
Humane treatment of others has also been a casualty of modern competition - torture and violence - especially against minorities - has become the norm even in the most "enlightened" states. International relations have moved from cooperation to competition and the idea of a United Nations organization based on mutually agreed upon basic moral ideals has degenerated into a forum of fairly intense political competition - both between the major power blocs and the smaller less influential nations who no longer find they can ally themselves to a major nation without the danger of assimilation or aggressive bullying.
Perhaps the idea of some kind of universal morality never was really in play - just a sort of lip service to gain favors from the super powers which has slipped as national alliances have changed. Do you suppose the idea of Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness was ever an international goal, or do modern nations see those goals as applying only to their citizens at the expense of all others?
Comments (34)
In a world of 7 billion people, what is life liberty and the pursuit of happiness? People don't know what that means anymore. They've been fed the wrong meanings of these words.
The pursuit of money is the only important thing to most people, and they don't care if they wreck the world trying to get it.
My idea of life liberty and the pursuit of happiness involves the death of several billion of us. Even though I wouldn't be around to see it, I'd die knowing that there will eventually be beauty in the world again for some other selected species who will likely fuck it all up again.
On a political level, I think countries should look to provide happiness to their own citizens before all others.
Even on a personal level, if you're free and happy (although freedom is complicated.) then that's fine.
And that's all you can do.
@brown_buffalo - I think many of us would feel more comfortable on a world that was less crowded. When I was born the world population was only about 2 billion - when my grandmother was born it was less than a billion. Clearly human population growth is approaching a tipping point - one which will trigger natural population decline until we balance out at a point where human life is sustainable - but probably not worth living, at least not from our point of view.
The world I grew up in certainly had many advantages over modern times for me, but not for most of the world even then.
One problem with your dream scenario is that it would only start the process over - do you think we could do better next time? Or are you just interested in your personal L,L&P of H ?
Maybe is better focus is how can we make our present world better so that we can all enjoy Life, Liberty, and all that other good stuff.
Maybe one step at a time?
@Nushirox2 - Maybe helping other country's citizens toward Life , Liberty, and the P of H is one way of insuring the Life, Liberty, and Pursuit of Happiness for our country. The focus though, has to be on Helping others toward their aspirations, not forcing our ideas on them.
I don't know ... I honestly think we should mostly leave other countries alone unless they bother us or have the potential and/or inclination to do us serious harm. But besides that, I don't think you should meddle with other countries till everything is fixed at home
@Nushirox2 - I agree
@tychecat - I have no hope that we will ever make a good world while I'm still alive. I've often wondered why I even care, after all, I'm only temporary and then gone so should I even care? My life would mean so much more if I were to do something worthy, like kill the Koch bros. Or take out a few whiny Tea Party congressmen. I mean, real morality demands action.
@brown_buffalo - I'm not sure killing anyone - unless he is trying to kill you - is a very good idea.
I think the world can be changed for the better one step at a time - while you may not think so, we are all a lot better off than most of us were a couple of hundred years ago. that's not the result of just a few grand discoveries - it's the result of countless small steps.
Certainly everyone never moves in the same direction - or sees "Better" as the same thing - but the slow movement seems generally to be toward a better life, more liberty, and more happiness or more people more of the time, war and tribulation notwithstanding.
A long time ago, someone described life in olden times as "Nasty, Brutish, and short"
I think that whoever proposed the idea to begin with felt passionate about it, but like so many other ideas, they become lost in the fog of administration. Add to that the seemingly unlimited ability of a self-seeking few to hijack any organization that begins to make some headway toward its goals and you have a receipy for diaster. Those people seem to have an unending capacity to ruin anything starts out as altruistic. Every government in the world, throughout history, has fallen pray to these people. Will it ever end? I won't be holding my breath waiting for it.
@thereluctantsinger - If you believe in the idea of democracy, you must also accept the responsibility of constantly monitoring the institution - and also be willing to accept the basic idea of democratic decision making, even when it does not agree with your opinions.
a fundimental principle of the democratic process is that the extremes will cancel each other out and the general will of the governed will prevail - but the politics of democracy are always a messy process.
An interesting case in point:Recently a bill referring to firearm purchase checks was "defeated"in the US Senate, even though a majority of Senators voted for it - was that democratic?
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