cosmicfox69 said:I guess we have actually made some progress, at least to a certain point. I won't really focus too much on how people act when they're pushed to their absolute limits by extreme circumstances—you know, basically during wartime.
Yeah, I'm pretty sure war will always bring out the absolute worst in people. Even though things have improved overall, I honestly feel like people today are capable of committing way worse atrocities against one another, just because modern civilization gives us the tools and the twisted opportunities to do it.
Also, I highly doubt you'd see this many Pride parades moving through American cities if it were still common practice to tie someone to two trees just because of who they love. All in all, I'd say yes. We've progressed, I think. Or "progressed"... if that's the word you want to use.
From what I gather, that intense crackdown on homosexuality was largely driven by Christianity; back in ancient civilizations, bisexuality was actually a pretty widespread thing. Some might call that decadence and say that's why those empires fell, but those are just the facts.
In the end, everything comes down to how we perceive humanity. That core understanding shapes almost everything about our society, including how we value a single human life.
That’s why most modern sociologists—and I mean the lower-tier ones, like the ones with just a Bachelor's degree, so I can't speak for actual scientists—always harp on about the "invaluable worth" of human life.
I once got into a debate with one of them, and I told them—and I really do believe this—that massive embezzlement or looting government funds is actually a far greater crime than killing one individual. Of course, they just stared at me like I was some kind of Nazi! I think the hypocrisy has gone way too far.
Yeah, you're right. Christianity played the biggest role there.
That said, I think there are also historical records regarding certain peoples—I'm not entirely sure which ones—mostly from Eastern Europe or Western Asia, who treated homosexuals in that exact same way I mentioned.
cosmicfox69 said:I guess we have actually made some progress, at least to a certain point. I won't really focus too much on how people act when they're pushed to their absolute limits by extreme circumstances—you know, basically during wartime.
Yeah, I'm pretty sure war will always bring out the absolute worst in people. Even though things have improved overall, I honestly feel like people today are capable of committing way worse atrocities against one another, just because modern civilization gives us the tools and the twisted opportunities to do it.
Also, I highly doubt you'd see this many Pride parades moving through American cities if it were still common practice to tie someone to two trees just because of who they love. All in all, I'd say yes. We've progressed, I think. Or "progressed"... if that's the word you want to use.
From what I gather, that intense crackdown on homosexuality was largely driven by Christianity; back in ancient civilizations, bisexuality was actually a pretty widespread thing. Some might call that decadence and say that's why those empires fell, but those are just the facts.
In the end, everything comes down to how we perceive humanity. That core understanding shapes almost everything about our society, including how we value a single human life.
That’s why most modern sociologists—and I mean the lower-tier ones, like the ones with just a Bachelor's degree, so I can't speak for actual scientists—always harp on about the "invaluable worth" of human life.
I once got into a debate with one of them, and I told them—and I really do believe this—that massive embezzlement or looting government funds is actually a far greater crime than killing one individual. Of course, they just stared at me like I was some kind of Nazi! I think the hypocrisy has gone way too far.
Hypocrisy really has gone too far, I suppose. I agree.
Still, I honestly don't know what to make of the other point. On one hand, you have a valid argument. The embezzlement of those funds could impact the lives and well-being of millions. From that perspective, it is a larger crime. But then again, I tend to view a human life as the ultimate value, so I'm not sure I can agree with you there. One is an abstraction, whereas a human life is... well, a human life. Plus, I guess it depends on the circumstances surrounding the "murder."🤷