[p2p-research] Helping the Helpless (formerly: Only the Super-Rich Can Save Us)

[Ryan Lanham]

On Sat, Sep 26, 2009 at 1:40 PM, Kevin Carson <
free.market.anticapitalist at gmail.com> wrote:

> On 9/26/09, Edward Miller <embraceunity at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > Cows have been selectively bred for centuries in order to emphasize their
> > docile milk-producing natures, and it is now to the point where they
> could
> > not even survive in the wild. Second, even animals in the wild are
> extremely
> > lacking in intelligence and experience tremendous amounts of suffering. I
> > would posit that it is the job of higher intelligences to do what is
> > reasonably in their power to care for the less able, and that the goal of
> > our civilization and increasingly advanced technological civilization
> should
> > be the abolition of suffering in all sentient life. Just as it is our
> duty
> > to care for a crying infant, it is our duty to care for all sentient
> beings
> > on the planet which are involuntarily suffering.
>
> That's a good point.  But it's worth bearing in mind that humanity has
> arguably suffered some intelligence loss from "domestication," albeit
> to a lesser extent than other species.  I recall seeing some articles
> linked at Reason Hit & Run blog.  One of them showed that the typical
> brain size of domesticated animals was smaller than that of their wild
> ancestors, and argued there was probably selection in favor of
> docility and lower intelligence in order to make them easier to
> control and exploit.  It's pretty widely believed, for example, that
> the main difference between the wolf and the dog is that the latter
> has had its alpha male behavior systematically bred out of it, so that
> wild dogs don't form packs nearly as effectively as wolves.
> Interestingly, the other article claimed that average human brain size
> was smaller among peasants and townspeople since the agricultural
> revolution than for hunter-gatherers.  Since the rise of the first
> states, there's been pretty systematic weeding out of humans who
> resented being "milked" enough to resist the landlord and tax
> collector, and selection in favor of those who handed over their
> surplus without too much bleating or mooing.
>
>
I suppose I see it this way: Darwinism doesn't imply the development of any
ladder of skills or intellect.  Intelligence is far from proven to be of
value in the long run--humans may well be systematically offing ourselves
now.

Morality is something we invent; it doesn't exist outside us.  It is a
social phenomenon.  What works is what works.

To me, one either has a particular worldview and, thus, tends to see the
world tendentiously in line with that worldview, or one is a pragmatist and
sees things as being practical given a set circumstance.  As someone
attracted to the value of truth and science, I see myself as a pragmatist.
Whether at some level I follow less than pragmatic ideals, I can't say. But
my progressive politics, my green advocacy, my relationship to the wild
world, my interest in P2P are not from a moral or intellectual
foundation--though I have a conscience and I try to use it.

Rather, most of my views flow from simple pragmatism.  Pragmatism, to me, is
taking everything as contextual and looking for the best outcomes from a
given context where best is derived from a reasoned morality held at any
given point.  It may be pragmatic for most people to be docile.  Clearly
crime is rising in several societies, so that isn't true everywhere.  I
don't judge people all that much.  Most are living within a world they
create to their own advantage and pleasure.  It is up to those of us who
hope for better outcomes to organize and educate in ways that lead to things
we want.  I call that politics.  Others use other names.  I've always found
the left somewhat deplorable because it believes certain outcomes are better
just because they like them.  I deplore the right because they believe
certain worldviews are privileged.  To me, what works is what works.  I see
that as very in line with a Danish/Swedish sort of capitalism/socialism/live
and let live mentality.  I cannot start from a particular worldview.

Ryan
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