A Potpourri of Thoughts
Violence is the authority by which other authorities are derived. Or is it? I've read this a few times around the internet but it irks me when people use this as deference to malicious intent or actions ready for malicious psychopaths to exploit. As controversial as it may be, I have no issue with psychopathy itself as psychopaths through classic Pavlovian conditioning can be manipulated to benefit society if only through their selfish desires. And also, I do think that might makes right but saying it without context to an immature audience can be a recipe for rebellion and chaos. As discussed earlier, there's more to power than physical power or more ways to manipulate the machinery of the universe than through brute force. Physical power lifts barbells, intellectual power lifts ships and takes them to the moon. I think violence should only be a desperate fall-back method of last resort when an organism, societal or otherwise, faces a threat.
And on that same token, does love conquer all? If you ask me, it's just another tool in the shed by which leaders and followers manipulate and are manipulated. The human social ecosystem is so complex that it leaves many open points for a person or organization to exploit others. As in network security, defense is a lot harder than offense because in defense, you have many points to protect and only one needs to be exploited. Unlike physical defense, these points aren't so obvious as is the same with the social human ecosystem. But a system and person using only love leaves many points of tolerance to exploit. A system or person using aggression that thrives on finding points to exploit winds up in the end exploiting itself if left unchecked. As I discussed earlier, this can relate to political systems. Too little tolerance can be exploited, too much intolerance can exploit its own hosts. If I could vouch for any characteristic trait that's a good survival mechanism, it'd be that of moderation and modesty.
But to go on a tangent here, have you heard of the 'law of the instrument'? The old saying "I suppose it is tempting if the only tool you have is a hammer, to treat everything as a nail." I find myself doing this a lot. Maybe it's a bit of OCD and intent to solve things from a familiar angle. In typing class, I could barely think of a sentence without typing it in my head. My casual, short and ultimately failed interest in learning a programming language left me trying to analogize (if that's not a word, I think it should be) the world around me in code and vague, elementary mathematics. My casual interest in military history and very short time in the military probably also contributed to me seeing warfare in casual, everyday social situations as well as slight influence by Machiavelli and time spent observing society rather than interacting with it so much.
On another note, I've recently watched a youtube video of comedian and fellow atheist Patton Oswalt mentioning in a skit that religion played a part in civilizing the world. I'd agree to some extent but also I'd argue that physical power tames physical power just as much as love and other soft powers. Beasts sometimes need other beasts to keep them in check. It seems we forget sometimes that nuclear weapons have played a large part in taming the modern geopolitical world as well as other authorities derived from physical power and soft powers such as education. To know is to love, in some cases. To learn of your fellow man is to be familiar, familiarity brings content, content brings peace.
Anyhow, that wraps it up. It's just another night where I can't sleep and sometimes writing things helps. Also since I'm not a very talkative person, I use this blog to stand as a form of my legacy should I lose my ongoing fight against everyone's favorite foe, entropy. Speaking of those things, maybe my view of the "after-life" might be a topic for the next entry. Maybe I'll do that tonight, or this morning technically, if I'm not able to sleep.
And on that same token, does love conquer all? If you ask me, it's just another tool in the shed by which leaders and followers manipulate and are manipulated. The human social ecosystem is so complex that it leaves many open points for a person or organization to exploit others. As in network security, defense is a lot harder than offense because in defense, you have many points to protect and only one needs to be exploited. Unlike physical defense, these points aren't so obvious as is the same with the social human ecosystem. But a system and person using only love leaves many points of tolerance to exploit. A system or person using aggression that thrives on finding points to exploit winds up in the end exploiting itself if left unchecked. As I discussed earlier, this can relate to political systems. Too little tolerance can be exploited, too much intolerance can exploit its own hosts. If I could vouch for any characteristic trait that's a good survival mechanism, it'd be that of moderation and modesty.
But to go on a tangent here, have you heard of the 'law of the instrument'? The old saying "I suppose it is tempting if the only tool you have is a hammer, to treat everything as a nail." I find myself doing this a lot. Maybe it's a bit of OCD and intent to solve things from a familiar angle. In typing class, I could barely think of a sentence without typing it in my head. My casual, short and ultimately failed interest in learning a programming language left me trying to analogize (if that's not a word, I think it should be) the world around me in code and vague, elementary mathematics. My casual interest in military history and very short time in the military probably also contributed to me seeing warfare in casual, everyday social situations as well as slight influence by Machiavelli and time spent observing society rather than interacting with it so much.
On another note, I've recently watched a youtube video of comedian and fellow atheist Patton Oswalt mentioning in a skit that religion played a part in civilizing the world. I'd agree to some extent but also I'd argue that physical power tames physical power just as much as love and other soft powers. Beasts sometimes need other beasts to keep them in check. It seems we forget sometimes that nuclear weapons have played a large part in taming the modern geopolitical world as well as other authorities derived from physical power and soft powers such as education. To know is to love, in some cases. To learn of your fellow man is to be familiar, familiarity brings content, content brings peace.
Anyhow, that wraps it up. It's just another night where I can't sleep and sometimes writing things helps. Also since I'm not a very talkative person, I use this blog to stand as a form of my legacy should I lose my ongoing fight against everyone's favorite foe, entropy. Speaking of those things, maybe my view of the "after-life" might be a topic for the next entry. Maybe I'll do that tonight, or this morning technically, if I'm not able to sleep.
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