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This is a complicated discussion. I don't think all people or all living things are equal, but rather we're all relatively similar. As an example - we can say that the vast majority of us are all like acorns. Now, in a sea of acorns, some are clearly superior to others. Some are perfectly symmetrical, properly colored, and have the best nutrients. Others might be broken or half-rotted...maybe they can't even sprout. In this case, there are huge distinctions. However, we have the potential to grow into a massive oak tree. 99.99% of us will never achieve that. So in summary, yes, you and I are probably superior to the vast majority of others, but we are still closer to them than beings much greater than us. Just like the acorn isn't even aware of the existence of the oak tree because it is so much larger than it, we can't necessarily even recognize our own relative significance.Originally Posted by Skirnir_
I am not concerned with the organization of society, whether it be based on obedience to faith or it be a secular liberal society. There are many other things that bind it such as culture and moral values. The key thing is that it behaves as a single organism.You are likely referencing this post wherein I quoted Von Mises from Human Action wherein he was critical of the "holistic and metaphysical view of society".
What is commonly referred to as a society is merely a composite of individuals...95% of them of dull-normal intelligence at best. It does not act, only individuals act.
I completely understand, and feel the same way when other people use that term. However when I use it, it has a precise meaning. It is the state of self-remembering. Basically, what it means is you observe yourself at all times, which leads to self-awareness.In passing, I detest the phrase 'wake up' since it is often the equivalent of a chemist drawing a circle on a whiteboard and writing 'something happens here'.
The process is actually more emotional than it is intellectual. That's why reason will never work, because intellectual thoughts are an effect, not a cause. This is why whenever public opinion is steered, it's never through discourse. Rather it's through emotional appeal, or more fundamentally, through impressions. That's why traumatic events can change us unlike other things - because they change our impressions.The brain-dead will not will not 'wake up' for the same reason Polyphemus never saw again after a certain encounter: he lacked the means to do so.
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