Is Humanity on the decline? If so, whats the reason? (salaries, Alabama)
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First of all.... the is ASSUMING that a flat screen and a cell phone are major improvements for Humanity. I do not see the connection there. I think all societies are becoming more isolated.
How is a flat screen TV not an improvement? It's like a regular TV, except takes up less space, uses less power, and can give a better picture given appropriate source. Would you rather we all just had black & white TVs? Would you rather nobody had TVs so that people couldn't have seen the great world events of the last decades like Berlin Wall coming down, the 2004 Tsunami, and OJ running from the police after he offed that poor woman?
How is a cell phone not an improvement? It's kinda like a regular phone, except no cord, free long distance, and more features. Would you rather we went back to smoke signals? I certainly don't feel more isolated, as I call my long-distance a lot more not having to count minutes in my head.
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These said cell phones and flat screen TVs are being made by huge corporations offering low wages in poorer countries. World wide... globalization is taking away the local community and shared common values.
That's quite easy to say from the comfort of a first world country, if you're the one who has a choice of $40/week at a factory or working in the rice paddies for next to nothing I suspect you'd choose the former.
How is a flat screen TV not an improvement? It's like a regular TV, except takes up less space, uses less power, and can give a better picture given appropriate source. Would you rather we all just had black & white TVs? Would you rather nobody had TVs so that people couldn't have seen the great world events of the last decades like Berlin Wall coming down, the 2004 Tsunami, and OJ running from the police after he offed that poor woman?
I see, so you equate the rise/decline in humanity with possession of higher tech stuff, and material things in general....the justification being capped off by implying not being able to witness people being killed by a natural disaster and the whole OJ circus would've been a bad thing.
I'm sorry but that ironically IMO backs the opposing viewpoint.
Last edited by Green Irish Eyes; 06-04-2010 at 07:29 PM..
Reason: Please discuss the topic, not each other.
We are explorerers, and we are exploring. You may be not exploring. I learn things everyday, I explore ideas that bring understanding and solutions. Humanity is learning as a whole, and learning at a faster rate than ever before. Information is now more readily available than ever!
I see, so you equate the rise/decline in humanity with possession of higher tech stuff, and material things in general....
In a way, yes just not in the way you are implying.
It's not about materialism as in owning things for the sake of owning them, I don't believe having a bigger diamond ring enhances one's life. However things that make our lives easier, expand the score of our knowledge, allow us longer lives, etc. are indeed associated with the rise of humanity, be it the printing press, penicillin, the internet, or yes cell phones.
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the justification being capped off by implying not being able to witness people being killed by a natural disaster and the whole OJ circus would've been a bad thing.
Woosh. I'll try again, except I'll state my point more directly since the gist of the examples was obviously missed: I believe yes television is a good thing, it has allowed people all over the world to witness important news events (good or bad) as well as have exposure to that which they would not have. As distasteful as the Tsunami disaster was yes I believe as a major world event it's good we got to see it. If you believe we should be shielded from suck yucky things, how about censoring newspapers too I suspect if you did a poll of the headlines you'd find most would be considered bad news.
Because we have television I've seen Pavoratti sing, I've seen Fred Astaire dance, I've seen a cheetah chase down and kill a gazelle, I've watched how people in rural Thailand make curry, and I've seen Chairman Mao standing up on that platform declaring the founding of the People's Republic of China. In my opinion this is a good thing, I'm seeing things I never would have seen if not for television.
Even mindless TV, watching Jack Bauer defuse another bomb on 24, is a reasonable use of idle time. I like to read books, they have fictional stories that please me as I discover the outcome, same as a TV series or movie.
So yes, I believe TV could be associated with the advance of humanity.
TV, Cell Phones, Computers, and technology in general are all tools. Tools can be used for good or for bad. What charts the course of a society is the moral and ethical fabric of it's citizens. That, to me, is what seems to be coming apart at the seams here in America. Working customer service, it does literally seem you can chart the decline day by day month by month in people's attitudes and mindsets. The vacancy in many people's eyes is disturbing and ubiqutious.
TV, Cell Phones, Computers, and technology in general are all tools. Tools can be used for good or for bad. What charts the course of a society is the moral and ethical fabric of it's citizens. That, to me, is what seems to be coming apart at the seams here in America. Working customer service, it does literally seem you can chart the decline day by day month by month in people's attitudes and mindsets. The vacancy in many people's eyes is disturbing and ubiqutious.
How about the fact that most people don't have to work hard for crap anymore.
Now there would be an interesting measure, and I've seen it used before but I think it was related to a meal.
How many hours worked for a product? Say a computer, microwave oven, or personal music player, how many hours of work would that average person have to perform to aquire one?
Is Humanity on the decline? If so, whats the reason?
Tis kinda hard to hold to this position since the population is on the increase.
Population increase is exponential. In a vacuum, it will always be "on the rise" barring some outside circumstance (catastrophe, disease, war, starvation, sterilization, etc..) to allow for a decrease.
I think the thread is referring to "humanity" in a more moral sense.
Or maybe not.... that is how I read it at least.
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Now there would be an interesting measure, and I've seen it used before but I think it was related to a meal.
How many hours worked for a product? Say a computer, microwave oven, or personal music player, how many hours of work would that average person have to perform to aquire one?
If you could work 10 minutes to acquire a meal at McDonanlds.... is this an improvement for "humanity"? Not really, right? It may have taken American Indians (for example) time to hunt and gather and farm but they may have experienced a richer culture in terms of values and community, etc.
A computer, microwave oven and Ipod might make daily tasks easier...
We might have access to a lot more information via the computers and the internet...
But these are just things. Conveniences.
Oil has led to a ton of convenience in terms of transportation, materials such as plastic, etc. No question this has made our daily lives easier... but we also have 15,000 gallons or so a day pumping out of a well and starting to hit the shores of LA, Fla. and Alabama. Better for humanity?
I think the question relates to how human beings treat one another, communicate with one another and interact with one another would indicate humanity on the "rise" or "fall".
I probably sound like a hippy, but I definitely do not think flat screen TVs and cell phones are an improvement to humanity. I actually think quite the opposite.
I personally believe that we are on the decline. We are naturally explorers, and we just aren't doing that anymore.
America's hay day was back in the 1900's, largely in part to the growth that we had. We no longer seem to be growing in the same way. We need more places to go to.
But where? All of the habitable world is conquered.
Space seems to me to be a long way off.
It just seems to me that some people, maybe most, are unhappy today. Some of us are just happier when we are moving, exploring, breaking new ground.
if humanity is on the decline, then I blame goverments for being the force behind the decline.
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