toldailytopic: In the last 200 years (or so) how has society advanced? In what ways h
- Thread starter Nathon Detroit
- Start date
- Status
Son of Jack
New member
Poly
Blessed beyond measure
Staff member
Administrator
Super Moderator
Gold Subscriber
LIFETIME MEMBER
Hall of Fame
Self is more and more high priority and others are an inconvenience including family. We end up a lot of the time viewing others as getting in the way of that priority.
Receiving help from others was once necessary sometimes just for survival. People aren't as dependent upon others as they were in a time of greater need and financial hardship. I think this has gradually allowed our focus to be how to better "help" ourselves.
Receiving help from others was once necessary sometimes just for survival. People aren't as dependent upon others as they were in a time of greater need and financial hardship. I think this has gradually allowed our focus to be how to better "help" ourselves.
DocJohnson
New member
So, it's a mixture of bad technology and bad ethics. Understood!
There's a terrific book by an author whose name I can't recall offhand called "The Good Old Days- They Were Terrible "; it's still available at websites such as amazon.com.
It shows why we shouldn't idealize the past. Virtually all the conveniences we take for granted today hadn't been invented yet,
sanitation was vastly inferior to today, and people routinely died of ailments which are easily remedied today or which no longer exist.
I'm not sure of overall morality was superior either. There have always been sexually licentious people and ones who are greedy, unscrupulous, power-hungry, hypocritically pious, cruel, fanatical,
ruthless and callous.
The Catholic church no longer has the power over people's lives which it had in the past; it isn't as obscurantist as it once was. No disrespect meant to Catholics or the Catholic church.
But unfortunately, religious obscurantism is still very widespread in America and elsewhere, such as in Islamic countries and with the religious right in America today.
It shows why we shouldn't idealize the past. Virtually all the conveniences we take for granted today hadn't been invented yet,
sanitation was vastly inferior to today, and people routinely died of ailments which are easily remedied today or which no longer exist.
I'm not sure of overall morality was superior either. There have always been sexually licentious people and ones who are greedy, unscrupulous, power-hungry, hypocritically pious, cruel, fanatical,
ruthless and callous.
The Catholic church no longer has the power over people's lives which it had in the past; it isn't as obscurantist as it once was. No disrespect meant to Catholics or the Catholic church.
But unfortunately, religious obscurantism is still very widespread in America and elsewhere, such as in Islamic countries and with the religious right in America today.
the number of people required to produce food has been significantly reduced
elohiym
Well-known member
Fine. Try...organic fertilizers vs. chemical fertilizers.
Find the bad ethics in that.
DocJohnson
New member
Fine. Try...organic fertilizers vs. chemical fertilizers.
Find the bad ethics in that.
Nothing ethically wrong with organic fertilizers. That's only natural.
The unethical practice of dumping human waste into the ocean, on the other hand, is what I refer to.
Sozo again
New member
That is not a good thing.
elohiym
Well-known member
I understand that. I gave you another example. Organic vs. chemical fertilizers. Clearly organic fertilizers are good for the soil and chemical fertilizers are bad for the soil. Where is the ethical dilemma there?
DocJohnson
New member
You were talking about dumping waste into the ocean. That's unethical no matter how you look at it.
Now you're talking about fertilizing the soil. Ruining the soil with chemicals is also unethical in my opinion.
elohiym
Well-known member
Well, yes, but I think that's offset by the technological advances in treating carpal tunnel syndrome.
We do need better keyboards.
Sozo again
New member
You'll only abuse your hard drive.
In the last 200 years?
On the minus side: a steady decline, fragmentation and diminishment of Christendom's influence within the Western world, the advent of a potential nuclear holocaust, the savaging of our environment without a clear sense of consequence, a world wide population explosion, World Wars, the rise of relativism...
On the plus side: :think: water picks.
So it's close.lain:
On the minus side: a steady decline, fragmentation and diminishment of Christendom's influence within the Western world, the advent of a potential nuclear holocaust, the savaging of our environment without a clear sense of consequence, a world wide population explosion, World Wars, the rise of relativism...
On the plus side: :think: water picks.
So it's close.
lain:
Alate_One
Well-known member
What planet/country are you from?
200 Years ago we had slavery and women could not vote. Northern and Southern Baptists split over the issue of slavery. The Southern Baptists thought the Bible sanctioned slavery. Napoleon was running amok (the French revolution soon to follow).
I don't see what is "good" about the good old days in terms of morality. People were still committing adultery and all sorts of other sexual sins, it simply wasn't well known. But slavery in the U. S. was legalized sanctioned brutality at all levels. I'll take dirty music and the supposed ills of modern society over legalized raping and killing any day.
That is pretty much what I would have said.
The gross immorality has actually happened in the second half of the 20th century, while the industrial revolution happened much earlier. And they are not related.
Alate_One
Well-known member
How have we advanced?
Elimination of Smallpox, polio (we are close in measles, mumps and a number of other diseases)
Pasturization of Milk
Food safety in general
Antibiotics
Biotechnology
Environmental regulation (though this was a reaction to and made necessary by the industrial revolution)
Computers
Unfortunately we have developed far more destructive weapons and technologies. If you have a spare hour and a half, I'd highly recommend "The True Battle of Chernobyl", its fairly easily available if you search for it online.
Elimination of Smallpox, polio (we are close in measles, mumps and a number of other diseases)
Pasturization of Milk
Food safety in general
Antibiotics
Biotechnology
Environmental regulation (though this was a reaction to and made necessary by the industrial revolution)
Computers
Unfortunately we have developed far more destructive weapons and technologies. If you have a spare hour and a half, I'd highly recommend "The True Battle of Chernobyl", its fairly easily available if you search for it online.
MrRadish
New member
I think the fact that some perceive modern times to be much more immoral than those gone by is at least partly due to the rose-tinted spectacles through which it's all too tempting to look.
Bear in mind that 200 years ago:
- European colonial powers were at their peak of invading and subjugating foreign countries like India, the East Indies and much of Africa.
- Only wealthy, white, upper- and middle-class men were able to vote in most countries.
- Napoleon had quashed the democracy established by the French Revolution and was preparing to carve out a lage empire thruogh conquest.
- It was legal to own slaves.
- Women were treated as second-class citizens, were entirely at the command of their hubands or male relatives, and had almost no power to be legally defended unless their husband was the one driving it.
- The Marquis de Sade had, several decades before, written his various works and, although he was sent to an asylum for it, he attracted a decent-sized following of aristocrat libertines.
- Although most Europeans and Americans classed themselves as Christian, the large majority had never read the Bible, because they were illiterate.
- Cinema and TV didn't exist but plays all about sex and violence were very popular indeed.
- Most countries still used mercenaries and privateers, who were almost entirely unregulated in their licence to kill, kidnap, torture, steal and rape, provided they did it to some other country's people.
- Most working-class people had no access to education, and so tended to be illiterate, largely innumerate, and unhealthy.
- (I list this because I know a lot of you view homosexuality as immoral) There was a lot of open homosexuality that existed, especially in the 18th century, to the point that there were known gay clubs in many cities. It was illegal, but it was still very widespread.
- People still committed murder, adultery, theft, rape, arson, kidnapping and all the other crimes you can think of (maybe not software piracy :think, it's just that the huge majority never got reported because of the lack of mass media or an functional investigative police force.
Bear in mind that 200 years ago:
- European colonial powers were at their peak of invading and subjugating foreign countries like India, the East Indies and much of Africa.
- Only wealthy, white, upper- and middle-class men were able to vote in most countries.
- Napoleon had quashed the democracy established by the French Revolution and was preparing to carve out a lage empire thruogh conquest.
- It was legal to own slaves.
- Women were treated as second-class citizens, were entirely at the command of their hubands or male relatives, and had almost no power to be legally defended unless their husband was the one driving it.
- The Marquis de Sade had, several decades before, written his various works and, although he was sent to an asylum for it, he attracted a decent-sized following of aristocrat libertines.
- Although most Europeans and Americans classed themselves as Christian, the large majority had never read the Bible, because they were illiterate.
- Cinema and TV didn't exist but plays all about sex and violence were very popular indeed.
- Most countries still used mercenaries and privateers, who were almost entirely unregulated in their licence to kill, kidnap, torture, steal and rape, provided they did it to some other country's people.
- Most working-class people had no access to education, and so tended to be illiterate, largely innumerate, and unhealthy.
- (I list this because I know a lot of you view homosexuality as immoral) There was a lot of open homosexuality that existed, especially in the 18th century, to the point that there were known gay clubs in many cities. It was illegal, but it was still very widespread.
- People still committed murder, adultery, theft, rape, arson, kidnapping and all the other crimes you can think of (maybe not software piracy :think
, it's just that the huge majority never got reported because of the lack of mass media or an functional investigative police force.- Status