Egalitarian Society: An Appealing Fiction?
What Fuller said here, of course, is wonderful. But there is a problem: it doesn’t make the rich richer, and thus it’s probably not going to happen.
There are certain laws of the universe, e.g., those of thermodynamics, the second of which says that the amount of entropy (randomness/chaos/disorder) is always increasing. This makes certain things impossible, like heat flowing from something cold into something hot, or an egg that unscrambles itself, or a deck of cards thrown onto the floor that assemble itself into a house. There can be counter-examples on a short-term and limited scale, but at a macro level, the law always prevails.
Here we have the same thing: any drive toward egalitarianism runs counter to the basic nature of rich, powerful people. There’s a reason they became rich and powerful, and concerning themselves with the needs of others probably wasn’t at the core.
If we want the society Fuller imagines, it’s going to take a monstrous amount of work.
Here’s a start. There is a lying, sociopathic conman in the White House. Let’s begin by identifying that basic truth and taking the necessary actions to remove him. This in itself will take some work: talking to others, organizing, calling representatives, voting his enablers out of office, and insisting that the new Congress invokes the 25th Amendment or moves forward with impeachment.
If we can at least accomplish that one basic task, we can talk about the next step. Or, conversely, if we can’t take this first step, we can completely forget about making any progress in our society beyond building walls, conducting wars, denying our people healthcare and quality education, and profiting from the destruction of our environment.
I couldn’t agree more! We need to focus more on quality of living for people in third world countries rather than investing in weaponry and waging wars. The only issue is that money = power. The rich control all the decisions and the poor have to suffer. The rich are only focused on becoming richer and don’t care about other peoples wellbeing! If humans weren’t so greedy, we would have a chance, but it’s human nature, and sadly we can’t do anything about it.
Craig,
You do realize you’re just ranting don’t you?
Do you really think ranting and raving hate filled rhetoric will make anything better? Do you imagine reducing everything to stereotypes disguises the fact that your illusions and political philosophy isn’t popular and that makes you feel frustrated ?
Is Elon Musk greedy, without social conscience ?
” There’s a reason they became rich and powerful, and concerning themselves with the needs of others probably wasn’t at the core “. Hmm… do you really believe the less affluent are less affluent because they’re altruistic and concerned with the needs of others?
Among my own staff I have those who don’t earn as much as others. Why ? They have the same opportunities, but for a variety of reasons some are better than others at maximizing opportunities.
Why bother calling the man in the White House abusive, and by now very hackneyed names ?
Why not get out and do the stuff you are good at, post positive examples, make the world a better place. Life is far too short to worry about all that hatred and frustrated venom.
Here’s a start, buy a Tesla! Have some fun!
Hmmm,….maybe you’re lacking Vitamin B12 🙂
( Oxford University tests reveal low levels of B12 are linked to mood disorders, including anxiety, depression, paranoia, rage, obsessions etc.)
Ford motors are producing a Hybrid Mustang with a hybrid system consisting of an electric motor sandwiched between the gasoline engine and the transmission. The EcoBoost 2.3-liter turbo-four will likely be the gasoline engine of choice and could be tuned to produce more than the 310 hp and 350 lb-ft of torque it currently makes. The current 10-speed automatic could back the hybrid power-train instead of a CVT, which is what you find in many hybrids.
Buy the convertible, with a optional extra batteries to raise the power to 650 hp !
Or go the whole hog, with a 2020 $250,000 Founders Series Tesla roadster. I’ve got my name and money down, why not join me ? 🙂
The great thing about these cars is the conversations they start. It’s much easier to sell the advantages of clean technology from such examples than moaning on about the ill’s of the President.