virus: Re: virtuality

Ken Pantheists (kenpan@axionet.com)
Sat, 28 Dec 1996 14:34:29 +0000


Alex wrote:
I don't think it /is/ possible. Its not Politically Correct to say so,
but War is Good, Baby. Wars have encouraged the majority of our
technological innovations over the millinea, wars kill off the weak and
give the strong a Rite of Passage sorely needed to establish societal
roles. Wars, literally, are the proving ground of the meme.
**********************************************************************

Your statement is interesting memetically.

It is a truth only because you are looking back over history and
creating your model from selected data.

It's the old trap of "history is written by the winners" syndrome.

You do not observe, for example, that humankind has an innate creativity
and ability for creating stuff, but it is our aggression and war-making
impulses that focusses those talents-- forcing memebers of a society to
funnel resources into the development of war technology.

I mean, of course, "someone is going to invade your home and radically
change your way of life" is a strong meme that gets attention.

So, memetically-- war is not good-- war is an effective motivator.

Consult Euripedes "Trojan Women" for the world's oldest (written)
anti-war play. He used the key attributes of tragedy to express the one
aspect of the human condition that is the "Achilles Heel" of our
consciousness.

We cannot, really, see things totally from another person's point of
view. We do not know our own cruelty until it is inflicted back upon us.

-- 
Regards
+--------------------------------------------------------+
  Ken Pantheists         http://www.lucifer.com/~kenpan 
+--------------------------------------------------------+