What is wrong with the world

A In depth study, based on Social dynamics, Evolution (Survival of the fittest), Economics, and Sexuality.


I am going to start with a brief primer on what is known as the "Prisoner's Dilemma" a problem in Game theory that tries to calculate and extrapolate the overall probability of trustworthiness in a general population (The prisoner in the game).

and this dilemma is quite nicely explained in the British television show "Golden Balls"



The basic premise is on trustworthiness versus Gain and individualism versus collectivism.


Now, I will attempt to explain my basic premise.


And that is: "Crime Pays"

in more detailed explanation, Crime (UnTrustworthiness) is more profitable than trustworthiness for the individual.

In group dynamics, when the constituents of the group are seen only as competing interests, the focus of the individual is on competition, instead of on cooperation.

And this manifests in the real world in the Bylaws of business in the forms of competition (Some forms more harsh than others)

And also, this translates to a form of natural (Or unnatural, if you prefer) selection.


A perfect example of what I am talking about, you all probably already know about, is the RIAA, or the Recording Industry and Artists Against Piracy.


We have all seen the extraordinary lengths the recording industry goes to to protect their profit margins... and also, by extension, the completely absurd profit OF these corporations.

Contrasted against the relatively small pittance that the actual creators of the music recieve from that industry, and it is clear to see how most of the energy (Money) that is spent on entertainment, does not go to the entertainers.

Now, most anyone reading this will have probably just had a Duh moment... like, OF COURSE EDRICK!

The Industry profits FAR more than the artists... we already know this!

Yes... we do.



Now, contrast that with Birds.


upload.wikimedia.org...

I know... it's a stretch, but bear with me... im going into Darwinism, and evolutionary selection (And some of you, no doubt are already following me to my next destination)

Some birds (Males) will display bright plumage to attract a mate, peacocks in particular have this genetic predisposition to make themselves more "Colorful" than is nessecary to attract the most females for breeding purposes, allowing their genetic material to replicate into the next generation.

Now, this fits in well with human beings also, as both the male, and the female have decidely different strategies and forms of "Plumage" to attract a mate...

But I will only be focusing on the "Plumage" of men here...



That, is money (Abstract, numerical Effort)



Now, We purchase music, and listen to it, because of the creativity of the artists, and whatnot...

But, as we can see, our society and culture rewards NOT the musicians (Creativity) but the Industry that is a form of parasitic infestation that rides on the creativity of the artists that create the music.

Now, evolutionary selection in humans (For females) typically select the most powerful (In capitalistic terms, this means rich) males that are possible.

You can attempt to deny this fact due to Political Correctness... or you can just accept the truth that Wealth = Desirability in men. (Its not the WHOLE package, but it certainly is important.)

So, anyways...


People who actually have the capability to create, are not the ones that receive the benefits of their creations, and those that DO receive the evolutionary benefits of creativity, are not creative.


So, our current capitalistic model preselects for genetic reproduction those who act as parasites on that which creates wealth.


So, the logical conclusion of this system, is a world in which there are no creative peoples left, and only parasitic personalities and mentalities remain.

Survival of the "Fittest"?


No, survival of those willing to take what they cannot make, and profit (Reproductive selection) on what they are unable to create.


So, by this hypothesis, our society selects (Genetically) those willing to steal, lie, and step on as many necks as possible to achieve.


But what happens when there are no more creative people left to feed upon?



Just think about it...


-Edrick

reply to post by Edrick


Greatly put. I find it interesting because most societies are that way, but what about the Islamic society? Where people are married based on their morality. It would be great if you compare the two societies in another thread for us to have a read.

Thanks for your thoughts

reply to post by oozyism


Agreed, very interesting take on game theory.

as a contrast to this, examine the nation of Cuba wherein creativity is not only promoted, but mandated by the state and there is very little profiteering that comes from this because there are very few profiteers.

I know that the cuba model is far from ideal and my brief analysis is superdupersimplified, however, one can see a counter argument brewing in that mix.

(by the way, if you haven't been to Cuba, it is a wonderful country loaded with kind and genuine people...and some douchebags as well)

Yes, I have noticed that the "enemies" of the western world are all nations that prize things other than money (and more so than money) for a potential suitor to have.

Tis an interesting correlation, is it not?

I believe that this correlation would have to do with those in positions of power (Whose power is based on a abstract game theory numerification of wealth and value) wanting to keep their power base secure and potent... so to speak.

By deifying what amounts to a shared hallucination that little pieces of paper and numbers on computers that they control, amount to genetic fitness and overall value for reproductive purposes.

-Edrick

Well I starred it. It's a good theory and illustration, though I wouldn't take it completely literally.

The world is a very screwed up place. I don't have a lot to add because it's really hard for me to explain the social side of it. Only that there is a difference in being a particular form of a thief/crook which women and society tend to choose - that being the corporate wage slave, like myself, and admitting it. We are born into this system, and have to work within it until a majority are willing to radically change it, yes, that is all well and good. What I can't stand is men who sell out and constantly "mold" themselves into being exactly what their profession wants and exactly what women want, to hell with an attempt at objective morality and self-conciousness, now they are living ego-centrically, ethno-centrically, pretending their job is a "good cause" (I mean come on) and brainwash themselves like that's all there is to life, never admitting they are in many ways a slave to society!

Your final question though, "What happens when there is noone creative to feed upon?"

Everyone has creativity (so In my opinion creativity will never run out). Some just choose to ignore it. It's part of being human. It's part of being a spiritual being. Human and spiritual potential will never die, conciousness is behind everything. That can never be taken away. But it sure is boring to live in a world where others do not amplify it, appreciate it, test it's limits, and just enjoy it.

I guess that's all you can do. I just wish these people would leave me alone with their typical social antics, let me just do my job, and try to enjoy my day! Yeah. If they want to be brainwashed that's fine.

reply to post by Novise

Your final question though, "What happens when there is noone creative to feed upon?"

Everyone has creativity

There is a difference between drawing a stick figure of mommy and daddy, and sticking it to a microwave...

And composing a classical masterpiece, Discovering an applicable law of physics, writing a streamlined database, designing an efficient engine, etc...

Yes, everyone has creativity... but not everyone has the intellect necessary to create something useful, or beneficial.

Comparing macaroni and glitter to the Saturn V rocket is a bit childish.

-Edrick

reply to post by Edrick


Oh I don't look at it that way. I see creativity as important in and of itself.

At times you seem to be talking about ambition, creating something magnificent, or inventing something useful. And you are also talking about intellect and wisdom, the ability to use creativity.

I liked your post btw, just wanted to go further on the social side of it.

Technological advances are short term solutions but cause long term problems that are beginning to add up. To me, human life was ideal when it happened to be in balance with nature, and that's my rational side talking.

Creativity is that mystery that allows us to conceptualize new things in a seemingly spontaneous way. That spirit is what I find important, not what it accomplishes.

reply to post by Novise


Well, thank you for your compliments, but I feel that your perspective is a bit too narrow to grasp the long term ramifications of what your perception of the perfect world would be.

I don't mean this as an insult, but when you speak of "That spirit is what I find important, not what it accomplishes." You are neglecting the process of new spirits coming into this reality for whatever purpose that they do. (Learning, Growth, Etc...)

You would have to take a rather large step back to understand what I mean about this, and this I shall now happily provide to you.

Technological advances are short term solutions but cause long term problems that are beginning to add up. To me, human life was ideal when it happened to be in balance with nature, and that's my rational side talking.

Reproduction is dependent upon survival...

Yes, I agree with you that some forms of technology (More accurately, industrialized society) are detrimental to human life, our biosphere, etc...

But to disregard technology for a more simple life is folly for the precise reason that I stated above.

Reproduction is dependent upon survival.


Consider the Earth.

We are adapted to survive in the earths biosphere (That you implied that humans are not very appreciative of, or responsible with), and our very survival is dependent upon the healthy function of.

Now, human activity may be causing an unnatural death of the ecosystem, or harm to it, or change for the worse, or whatever....


But step back from the earth.



What form of groovy eco-utopia can survive this?



Take a look at the bigger picture....




How many Mother nature worshiping tribes, that live in harmony with the earth and all the creatures on it, would be left?




No, throwing off the shackles of technology is the action of a coward, and a fool.


And how many souls would be able to learn about human life... if there are no humans to be born into?



This is reality: "Space is a Tough place, where wimps eat flaming plasma Death"


And Intelligence, Creativity, Ingenuity, and Technology are our only hopes to survive our own inevitable death.


So, as I said in my original thread, when society selects for reproduction based on who can back stab and feed off of as many people as possible, what I mean... is that human society is engineered to kill off the human species.

By preventing our species from surviving the harsh reality of life in this universe.

Science, and Technology is imperative to the long term survival of the human species.

And science and technology is dependent upon the continued intellect and creativity of humans.

And the continuation of intelligence and creativity is dependent upon the overall reproduction of those who posses these traits.

And their reproduction is dependent upon what traits society values, and rewards.

And now, another question....


What traits does our society reward?

-Edrick

I KNEW that b**** was gonna do that!! I could see it through her eyes!!
You're so right about the world. The greedy and corrupt are the ones in power and get everything. This is why the Bible and other sources preach to be meek and humble. Buddha said true greatness is not achieved without suffering.

Look at how people get rich. Capitalism. Exploiting the poor. If people were truly good there would be no rich people period... all this money to buy yachts and building wealth off interest... would be far better spent just getting people FOOD and basic necessities!

What is wrong with the world is that people who have money crap on everyone else.

And what is wrong wiih the world is that people do not care about other people or animals.

What is wrong with the world is that we are surrounded by amazing things, but most people do not care.

What is mostly wrong with the world is money and power.

You are right and the demon called profit is responsible for so much cruelty, manipulation and abuse of other fellow humans.

Money the main reward mechanism in our society is based on profitablility which inherantly brings out the 'worst' human charactoristics rather than the best.

Life in my opinion should be about purpose, evolution and amplification of expression of the human spirit. One thing i realised a long time ago is the importance of facilitating anything that contributes to the advancement of the human species. Our society does not actively encourage this mandate and so what we have instead is the gradual killing off or subjugation of the human spirit, the very thing that links us to the multiverse and the jewels of happiness on offer. But we can't see it because we haven't yet collectively reached the way points and unlocked the crutial stages in our evolution. Many of you will agree human evolution as we know it has been painfully slow and very limited especially when compared to oceanic life which has much more diversity. What this essentially tells us is that freedom leads to diversity and advancement and most of all new discoveries through experimentation.

It is obviously wrong to reward those that know best how to manipulate others and how best to profit from the use of workers' energies or manpower for what it seems is the sole purpose of the aquisition of material goods.

So how do we fix this mess?

Well the problem is obviously massive, society is inherantly using a faulty operating system, and the software is well out of date! The power structure revolves around profit rather than human advancement, and for the most part attempts to meet consumer needs rather than attempt to define new more enlightened needs or desires. Society is stagnant hence the repetitive nature of the normal working week!

What we need are new goals, a new direction. But how do you determine what these are unless you are free to discover them? Herein lies another problem. Society is not free, not a single pocket of society is free as i see it. Imo freedom is one of the most crutual aspects to self discovery which leads into further insights into the nature of reality. Understanding the nature of freedom is in my opinion a fundamental piece of the puzzle which we have not yet realised.

TO FREEDOM!

Many times I have wondered why someone needs thirty or fourty million let alone billions in th bank, unless of course they have the secret of eternal life, because there is no way they or their great great great grandhildren would use this money and the interest accrude in a normal life span.

I find it obscene that a man/woman has the money to pay a couple of million for i.e., a diamond ring yet people are dying for lack of a cheap maleria pill of having to walk four miles for drinking water.

Humans have really screwed up.

reply to post by Edrick


What is wrong with the world? Selfishness.

Selfish, self-centered, self-absorbed, self-above-all-others mentality. ME, ME, ME!

If there is anything worse than selfishness, it is fear. Fearful selfish people are what is wrong with the world.

That "Golden Balls" show is the reason I dont socialise anymore. After watching one show (accidentally I might add) and seeing just how manipulative and decietful people can be just to have monetary gain rather than value friendship and trust, I can no longer trust anyone that I used to associate myself with.
Literally days and nights are spent home alone with about 23 hours in my room a day now on average.

reply to post by Edrick


I wonder if rich people feel guilty I know some do, those are the ones who go to charities and bring all the cameras to make them feel better. Hey look at me I'm giving charity in front of the world. Charity for fame, fame for fortune. So so sad.

ur right about women too,they can flame all they want,the fact is there is no rich guy without a beautifull girl next to him.
but the sad reality is today its more easy for women to find a job,and to take bigger salary then men,so they can pretty much do what they like ):.
plus rich man dosnt have to worry about sex needs,so he just have pheromones that say "im better,i dont care..im cool"