Chat Log

The issue is that fiscal and political conservatism has been hugely muddled with moral conservatism. The first two ideas are political views that work well in economically or resource restricted, extremely difficult environments. "Battening down the hatches," so to speak. Through the lack of social sharing, selected enclaves and individuals may persevere and survive difficult periods, so only the fittest survive, not dragged down by the least productive members of society. However, moral conservatism, while stemming from a similar brew of environmental pressures, is actually more closely associated with a mental disease of closemindedness and irrationality.

This sickness is most evident in extreme cases of "othering" groups of people, past points of dehumanization (kill all members of THEM, group X ,that is not US, group Y). This allows easy partitioning of populations, so that warfare and other methods of population control may be morally justified by the perpetrators (as unethical as it may be). This will also pervade into irrationality regarding reproductive practices, most of them to do with attempting to restrict procreation (and sex) to only the most economically stable classes (married, career oriented men in such places as the midwestern US, or extremely wealthy arab shieks). However, the irrationality that is required to allow this moral conservatism to occur within the human brain will eventually pervade it like a virus. In such a case, logical decisions and true ethical considerations are continually overlooked, and a siege mentality will most likely persist throughout the life of the individual without heavy environmental changes that would aid in lessening the effects of the disease.

The irrationality inherent in such people has been the primary reason for the suppression of astronomy, mathematics, science and ethics, as overturning the irrationality would also overturn the individual's world view and thus cause a mental breakdown, something which would be disastrous in any situation. This is especially more true as the individual further moves down such a path, destroying lives and spreading their sickness with every passing year. The ensuing guilt of realisation would most likely crush them.

The rational mindset occurs more often in times more free of stress, as it requires thinking that can be useless and impractical, but ultimately leads to the elimination of irrational thought processes in the human brain as it eventually seeks to fully understand its environment in order to most efficiently operate. This efficient operation is due to a recognised need to store wealth during times of plenty, and every percent increase in efficiency makes the individual that much more competitive with other individuals. However, if misdirected, the cold rationality can become selfish and irrational, which leads to effects such as fiscal conservatism in good times, in order to most benefit individuals through business.

However, throughout human history, extremely harsh environments have lead to strong predispositions (some mental, some genetic) in most humans to perpetrate irrational thinking. The continual cycles of economic success, population explosion, poverty and warfare/destruction only replenish the surplus of irrational people. This is not to mention that only in the past 100 years have we truly been doing much better in terms of economic progress and individual survival rates. So far, our cultures have not managed to catch up to our reality. There is a great deal of lag time, and it can sometimes take many generations for irrational thinking to be weeded out of a populace. That is why conservatives are a huge fucking problem.

Ultimately, the only mindset that will be of any historical or future benefit is one which is directed towards the betterment of the human race. The greatest greek minds, to the founders of democracy in france and the united states. Scientists like the Curies, Einstein, Tesla, and countless others. Every opponent of irrational thinking and gross religious conduct. Any economic accomplishments have long been forgotten and are essentially worthless to the individuals, but their combined contributions have most likely helped save the human race multiple times, and will hopefully enable the survival of our species into the next hundred thousand years, at least, the only real triumph any member of our species can strive for. (Although maintaining the Earth, nature, and our biosphere would also be a fantastic accomplishment as well. Life should be cherished for the amazing collection of chances that it is.)