A thought

[garote]

A modern global culture causes a short-circuiting of our group egalitarianism to the worldwide "group", making the return-on-investment of contributions to that group less predictable. This phenomenon makes humans seem like they are "accidentally" allowing a worldwide culture to exist, while they are actually evolved to be tribal.

Modern progressive thinkers are compelled to encourage this short-circuiting, because they are interested in building a conflict-free world. This is an admirable pursuit, but I suspect it is a pursuit without an achievable goal. Not for any lack of resources or ability, but because human happiness is at stake. Why? In brief, being a world-traveler is great, but as you grow older, you begin to favor the company of those who have shared experience with you - especially your own offspring.

And so, the meddling is most severe from those most able to conduct it: Well-heeled adults.

Comments

[lutin.livejournal.com]

I think I need more context.

[garote]

Eventually, in even the most egalitarian person, their desire to enjoy life comes into conflict with their desire to save the world.

[lutin.livejournal.com]

I definitely don't want to put my life on the line for the safety of the world, even though I may weep for it and wish strongly for more people whose highest ranked character trait was Peace/Sustainability/Other Hippie Values, etc.

[garote]

Indeed. And steering a path between total sacrifice and total self-indulgence, we all create wrinkles in the fabric of the economy and landscape that accumulate and eventually, if unchecked, create massive inequities in society.

I mean, putting aside the difficulty of managing relations between a geographic region with plenty of food and one with nothing but rocks and desert... That is, putting aside the whole question of resources... Humans have a tendency to corrupt their own most altruistic endeavors.

[maggiedacatt.livejournal.com]

What group egalitarianism? We evolved to be tribal, yes, egalitarian, no.

[garote]

Perhaps a better word for it would be altruism. Helping grandma cross the street, telling a stranger the time, giving a street urchin a coin, et cetera.

[maggiedacatt.livejournal.com]

Google evolution reciprocal altruism.

[garote]

Works for me. Yep, that's another problem: There's no good method to detect "cheaters" when we are altruistic to complete strangers instead of tribe members.