There seem to be a lot of people who honest-to-god conceive as human
history as a sort of pre-ordained march upwards out of the morass. It
implies a sort of moral plan, that mankind, itself, is improving due
to...to what? That part has never been real clear to me. Is it adherence
to some divine plan? If so, please point to it, and maybe we can all
know what it is.
But they have a point in that the "rough edges" of humanity seem to be
being smoothed off. Less overt aggression, daily violence--there are
pockets of exception, but you could make a decent case that this is
happening.
But I don't it has anything to do with a moral plan, or in basic
improvement in the nature of humans. I think it has to do with the
average "wealth" of any give society, and the length they've had that
wealth.
So that you might be able to track this ephemeral rise in "humanity" to
something like per capita GDP. The higher it it, the longer, the
"better" humans act toward each other.
As to why, any fool should be able to figure that one out, but let's
give them a hint: less competitor for substance resources.
Oh, sure, people still compete for *surplus* resources, but it's not
like when one is competing for resources to merely stay alive--and you
know it; this is *war*, red in tooth and claw. Competing for *more* on
top of an already well-larded lifestyle is more like two pansies
fighting over a brightly colored silk scarf at a Saks sale.
> Because they are the good ones.
>
> Those bigots.
>
>
> Max
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Sawfish: He talks the talk...but does he walk the walk?
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