@the more intelligent human civilization is becoming, the gentler we are
I wish that were so. We have invented some mechanisms to keep power-seeking and deception in check, so we can live together in large cities, but this carries only so far. What I currently see is a global deterioration of democratic values. In terms of the “gentleness” of the human species, I can’t see much progress since the days of Buddha, Socrates, and Jesus. The number of violent conflicts may have decreased, but their scale and brutality have only grown worse. The way we treat animals in today’s factory farms certainly doesn’t speak for general human gentleness.
Here I think we might be in the kind of perception that contribute to self-definition. I have to admit Í’m both strongly optimistic (as in: it seems obvious we’re making progress) and totally incapable of proving that the measure you’re choosing are not better than the measure I’d be choosing. Anecdotally I would point that the west seem to get past colonisation and nationalist wars and killing first nations, whereas by Jesus time it would have been kind of expected of military chiefs to genocide a bit before enslaving the rest. I agree the road seems bumpy at time, but not with the stronger bits. How would you decide what set of priors was best for this question?
@the more intelligent human civilization is becoming, the gentler we are
Here I think we might be in the kind of perception that contribute to self-definition. I have to admit Í’m both strongly optimistic (as in: it seems obvious we’re making progress) and totally incapable of proving that the measure you’re choosing are not better than the measure I’d be choosing. Anecdotally I would point that the west seem to get past colonisation and nationalist wars and killing first nations, whereas by Jesus time it would have been kind of expected of military chiefs to genocide a bit before enslaving the rest. I agree the road seems bumpy at time, but not with the stronger bits. How would you decide what set of priors was best for this question?