Altruism a fake construct of society? That's an interesting way of looking at things. What about society is not a "fake" construct if you look at it the right way? In the February issue of Discover magazine there is an article about an Israeli biologist who believes that such evolutionarily backwards traits as altruism actually serve the purpose of increasing social status and can be witnessed in puh-lenty of other species on the planet. I don't remember his name, but his theory is called the handicap principle. Basically he asks the question "At what point do things that seem to risk the survival of an individual become traits of a successful species?" Another example is the tail of a peacock; no bird in its right mind would dare to be so gaudy. Unless, of course, it really impressed the ladies. Oh, the guy's name is Zahlevi or Zahmavi.
Secondly, to say that such principles are not natural human behaviour says that we have somehow transcended evolution, which I find a little hard to swallow.
Maybe this, too, was off topic. But I'm not really known for being the most pertinent person in the world. 
Being (essentially) a Taoist myself, I see the presence of "duality" as a basic characteristic of "unity." There cannot be good unless there is bad to define it as such. There can be no Jehovah if there is no Lucifer. To imply that a separation even could exist has no meaning. Without the one, the other disappears. There would be no bin Laden if there were no Bush.  It is this understanding that leads some to believe that the world is perfect just as it is (not a view I hold). A Taoist magician might hold to both LHP and RHP points of view equally, since they are merely different descriptions of the same larger concept.
Embracing chaos,
G
[ 30-01-2002: Message edited by: gnsha99 ]
[ 03-02-2002: Message edited by: gnsha99 ] |
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