pacifism is cowardly when inaction enables bad actors.
not everyone values peace. never assume that just because you’re chill everyone else is too.
the paradox of tolerance is not a paradox.
humanity is what you make it. what do you want it to be? MAKE IT THAT.
don’t let the illusion of a peaceful society lull you into a vulnerable trance. plenty of past civilizations never saw their end coming.
never play fair with your enemy. once you choose violence, your virtues have been compromised. there’s nothing noble about it. it’s simply what has to be done, so do it effectively.
we will never have the society we are capable of as long as we are caught in a tug of war between narcissism and altruism. as long as the narcissists are allowed a place at the table, they will undermine any attempt at utopia for their own interests.
i believe the 21st century began an era in which the utopia that most considered a pipe dream became a feasible reality. we have all the tools and technology now to create a world in which no one suffers, not even the other species of this planet. to have that reality within reach, and to let greedy fascists, shallow narcissists, and religious zealots derail that future, is to make yourself no better then them.
pacifism is cowardly when inaction enables bad actors.
But pacifism isn’t inaction. It is action with the intent to do no harm.
not everyone values peace
The value of peace is social, not individual. You value peace when you know you have everything you want from the status quo. You embrace violence as a means of shifting conditions in your favor.
But violence comes at a grander social price. Simply embracing it because someone else has only compounds the costs.
the paradox of tolerance is not a paradox
The question of a socially acceptable degree of tolerance is a difficult one to answer philosophically and even more difficult to implement as social policy.
It is not strictly a paradox, but it is an unsolved problem.
don’t let the illusion of a peaceful society lull you into a vulnerable trance
The cost of violent action is what dissuades a violent response. People aren’t in a trance, they are taking a calculated risk.
never play fair with your enemy
Violating a social compact erodes trust. You reap a short term gain while everyone pays a long term price.
“Playing fair” is about establishing a social compact that everyone recognizes as beneficial. Violating broadly beneficial norms means accruing more enemies with whom you feel compelled to play unfairly.
the utopia that most considered a pipe dream became a feasible reality
The utopian era ended with WW1 and the industrialization of modern warfare. The 21st century has seen wave after wave of new investments in warfare, while domestic improvements and social welfare advances have ground nearly to a halt.
If there is a utopian future, it can only come with the abolition of international militarism. Otherwise, we continue to descend into generation after generation of escalating conflict and unchecked immolation of life and property.
we will never have the society we are capable of as long as we are caught in a tug of war between narcissism and altruism. as long as the narcissists are allowed a place at the table, they will undermine any attempt at utopia for their own interests.
i believe the 21st century began an era in which the utopia that most considered a pipe dream became a feasible reality. we have all the tools and technology now to create a world in which no one suffers, not even the other species of this planet. to have that reality within reach, and to let greedy fascists, shallow narcissists, and religious zealots derail that future, is to make yourself no better then them.
But pacifism isn’t inaction. It is action with the intent to do no harm.
The value of peace is social, not individual. You value peace when you know you have everything you want from the status quo. You embrace violence as a means of shifting conditions in your favor.
But violence comes at a grander social price. Simply embracing it because someone else has only compounds the costs.
The question of a socially acceptable degree of tolerance is a difficult one to answer philosophically and even more difficult to implement as social policy.
It is not strictly a paradox, but it is an unsolved problem.
The cost of violent action is what dissuades a violent response. People aren’t in a trance, they are taking a calculated risk.
Violating a social compact erodes trust. You reap a short term gain while everyone pays a long term price.
“Playing fair” is about establishing a social compact that everyone recognizes as beneficial. Violating broadly beneficial norms means accruing more enemies with whom you feel compelled to play unfairly.
The utopian era ended with WW1 and the industrialization of modern warfare. The 21st century has seen wave after wave of new investments in warfare, while domestic improvements and social welfare advances have ground nearly to a halt.
If there is a utopian future, it can only come with the abolition of international militarism. Otherwise, we continue to descend into generation after generation of escalating conflict and unchecked immolation of life and property.