Chit Chat Philosophy

2 What is humanity working towards?

1 I think humanity is collectively working towards a brighter future.

2 Can you define the term “brighter future”?

1 Well, to me a brighter future is one in which our species thrives. Ideally, we will have learned how to provide for everyone and accumulated vast stores of knowledge and understanding about the world around us. We will have created beautiful things and invented mind-bending devices. Everyone is afforded basic intrinsic rights like access to food, water, and shelter.

2 Despite having all the resources necessary to solve world hunger, this problem doesn’t seem to be on any world leader’s dockett at the moment. Why is that?

1 Well, greed is a powerful corrupter.

2 That would seem to contradict with your statement that humanity is working towards a brighter future. Would you agree?

1 Despite the outliers – and make no mistake, the billionaires of this world are outliers – many people dedicate their entire lives to the pursuit of furthering human understanding. Many people volunteer. Many people improve their community. That is being human.

2 Who defines the goal of humanity?

1 That’s a tricky one. You might define the goal of humanity as some intrinsic biological imperative, or maybe the collective goal of society. I guess it could even be defined as the desires of the powerful.

2 Are any of those goals constant?

1 Intrinsic biological imperatives are pretty static.

2 And what do you think our intrinsic biological imperative is?

1 Some might say it is to produce offspring, but I disagree. There are many people who shun the idea of progeny for one reason or another. No, I think our biological imperative is in the pursuit of pleasure.

2 Do you mean to say the ultimate thing humanity works towards is founded on greed?

1 Biologically, I suspect as much. And in fact, this aligns with your observation that solving world hunger is not particularly important to any with the power to do so.

2 If everyone is greedy, how can people dedicate their life to the pursuit of knowledge or community?

1 We may optimize for pleasure intrinsically, but we are able to incorporate this basal nature into more complicated motivations. For example: the pursuit of knowledge may be rewarding and so people like to do it. Or perhaps improving community increases your sense of purpose and soon enough you have dedicated your life to it. The core motivation may still be a form of greed, but it is applied in relatively complex ways.

2 Does that mean we are working for the individual or for the collective?

1 There is a very real survival benefit in numbers and camaraderie. I think ultimately we work for the collective, as long as it contributes to our individual motivations.

2 How can this be true if our motivation collectively is “a brighter future?”

1 I concede my earlier statement was perhaps a bit too idealistic. I think a brighter future is what we hope for as a society because it means less suffering and gives purpose to humankind. But when it comes to discreet motivations? Well, not very many people seem to be working towards this utopia.

2 What is the goal of the rich and powerful?

1 Generally the rich and powerful seek more wealth and more power.

2 Why doesn’t everyone seek that?

1 Because everyone defines pleasure in their own ways. This is how you get the cornucopia of motivations scattered throughout the human race.

2 How does anything get done in society?

1 One cool aspect of humanity is our ability to produce abstractions on top of our greed. We can channel our primal desires in a way that furthers society. Does this mean we are working towards a brighter future? Eh, probably not for the reasons many think… But we have the ability to effect change and further our species. You just gotta convince the powerful and motivated that it’s in their best interest.