World peace: Difference between revisions

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{{a|devil|{{image|World peace|png|It’s a battle.}}}}The problem with theories of justice is they don’t bear close examination.  
{{a|devil|{{image|World peace|png|It’s a battle.}}}}The problem with ideological theories of justice is they don’t bear close examination.  


Collective ones run into the problem “who gets to decide, and what’s to stop ''them'' tilting the scales, and what of people who legitimately disagree?”
Collective ones run into the problem “who gets to decide what is the collective best interest, on what basis, what’s to stop ''them'' tilting the scales in their own favour, and what of people who legitimately disagree?”


Individualistic ones are fine until we have to interact with each other — over the course of human history, we’ve tended to do that a lot — whereupon they all run into the same basic conundrum: what to do when ''my'' expression of personal freedom interferes with ''yours''?
Individualistic ones — personal  truths — work until first contact with others, whereupon the same basic conundrum arises: what to do when ''my'' expression of personal freedom interferes with ''yours''?


These lead to strands of philosophy one may characterise as basically ''Hobbesian'' (pessimistic) or ''[[Adam Smith|Smithian]]'' (optimistic) in grappling with the proposition that there are finite resources, unlimited demands on them, but in any case when gathered together humans are a fundamentally argumentative bunch, and this is a necessary condition of society (Hobbes) and a desirable one (Smith).
It used to be only beauty contestants who aspired to end conflict and live blissed out in peace, love and happiness: nowadays a large part of the educated metropolitan elite seems to want that — at least, in their in unguarded moments.  


It used to be only those contesting beauty pageants who aspired to an end to conflict and peace , love and happiness: nowadays it seems to be a large part of the educated metropolitan elite.
What is the biggest impediment to universal accord? What would It take to have enduring world peace? How can we get there?


Influencers wring their hands and ask, “What is the biggest impediment to world peace? How can we reach this state? What must we change?
Call JC a cranky old buzzard but he says ''be careful what you wish for''.


They harvest predictable enough, fit-for-beauty-pageant answers: greed, ego, colonialism, the Great Satan, Putin, men, idiocy, defence companies, toxic ideologies, the military-industrial complex, the lack of respect, the establishment —
Proffered obstacles to utopia are easy enough to come by , though not all of them would suit the beauty-pageant questionnaire: capitalism, greed, the education system, colonialism, the Great Satan, Putin, boomers, men, toxic ideologies, the military-industrial complex, the establishment —


But isn’t the answer, ''the hope for something better''?
But isn’t the answer, ''the hope for something better''?


We might not like the idea of conflict in the particular, but in the general disruption is a font of progress. In which case, isn’t the ''absence'' of stimulus for change even ''more'' horrifying?
We might not like the idea of conflict in the ''particular'', but in the ''general'' the problems caused by divergent interests — conflict — is a font of progress. They frame all the things we need to be better at. In which case, isn’t the ''absence'' of stimulus for change even ''more'' horrifying?


World peace — ''the total absence of conflict'' — implies a settled ''consensus''. It takes as a given that all mysteries have been resolved or, at any rate, agreed upon, that all possible questions have catalogued, taxonomised and satisfactorily answered, that all [[unknowns]] have been eradicated. World peace implies a ''total homogeneity of need, want and value''. There are no inventions left, no efficiencies to be gained, no services to be improved, no sunlit uplands to move towards.
For world peace — ''the total absence of dispute'' — implies a settled ''consensus''. It takes as a given that all conflicts have been resolved, all puzzles solved, all expectations met, all questions catalogued, taxonomised and answered, all [[known unknowns]] known and all [[unknown unknowns]] ruled out. World peace implies ''total homogeneity of need, want and value''. There are no inventions left, no efficiencies to be gained, no services to be improved, no sunlit uplands to dream of. ''We are already there''.


World peace allows of no tribes, no cultures,  no [[diversity]], no in-groups; no partisanship, no contest, no sport, no allegiance, no competition for resource. It allows no protection, no defence, no pre-emption, no optimisation.  
World peace allows of no tribes, no cultures,  no [[diversity]], no in-groups, no out-groups; no partisanship, no contest, no sport, no allegiance, no competition for resource, no protection, no defence, no pre-emption, no satisfying, no compromise at all in the name of optimisation or accommodation.


It implies no ''love'', for love implies preferment. Irony: taken to their logical conclusion, love and peace are mutually exclusive.  
It implies no ''love'', for love implies preferment. Irony: taken to their logical conclusion, love and peace are mutually exclusive.  


Peace requires no hesitancy, no uncertainty, no opportunity to improve: the objects of universe are mapped, their infinity of trajectories mapped, calculated and projected to the end of time; that we are disempowered automatons on strict deterministic rails; we know and accept and will doggedly do that, and only that which is required to stay upon them.
Peace requires no hesitancy, no uncertainty, no opportunity to improve: the objects of universe are mapped, their infinite trajectories mapped, calculated and projected to the end of time; that we are disempowered automatons on strict deterministic rails; we know and accept and will doggedly do that, and only that which we have to, to stay upon them.


There are no disputes, doubts, disagreements or ''contrarians''. If one were even possible a contrarian would simply be ''one who is wrong''. But a contrarian would not be possible. ''Error'' would not be possible. Indecision would not be possible. If it were possible to err, it would be possible to dispute the consensus, and that would create ''conflict''.
There are no disputes, doubts, disagreements or ''contrarians''. If a contrarian were even possible it would simply be ''a person who is wrong''. But a contrarian would ''not'' be possible. ''Error'' would not be possible. ''Indecision'' would not be possible. If it were possible to err, it would be possible to dispute the consensus, and that would create ''conflict''.


Lasting world peace implies, in short, ''[[End of days|the end of days]]''.
Lasting world peace implies, in short, ''[[End of days|the end of days]]''.

Latest revision as of 16:17, 4 June 2024

It’s a battle.
In which the curmudgeonly old sod puts the world to rights.
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The problem with ideological theories of justice is they don’t bear close examination.

Collective ones run into the problem “who gets to decide what is the collective best interest, on what basis, what’s to stop them tilting the scales in their own favour, and what of people who legitimately disagree?”

Individualistic ones — personal truths — work until first contact with others, whereupon the same basic conundrum arises: what to do when my expression of personal freedom interferes with yours?

It used to be only beauty contestants who aspired to end conflict and live blissed out in peace, love and happiness: nowadays a large part of the educated metropolitan elite seems to want that — at least, in their in unguarded moments.

What is the biggest impediment to universal accord? What would It take to have enduring world peace? How can we get there?

Call JC a cranky old buzzard but he says be careful what you wish for.

Proffered obstacles to utopia are easy enough to come by , though not all of them would suit the beauty-pageant questionnaire: capitalism, greed, the education system, colonialism, the Great Satan, Putin, boomers, men, toxic ideologies, the military-industrial complex, the establishment —

But isn’t the answer, the hope for something better?

We might not like the idea of conflict in the particular, but in the general the problems caused by divergent interests — conflict — is a font of progress. They frame all the things we need to be better at. In which case, isn’t the absence of stimulus for change even more horrifying?

For world peace — the total absence of dispute — implies a settled consensus. It takes as a given that all conflicts have been resolved, all puzzles solved, all expectations met, all questions catalogued, taxonomised and answered, all known unknowns known and all unknown unknowns ruled out. World peace implies total homogeneity of need, want and value. There are no inventions left, no efficiencies to be gained, no services to be improved, no sunlit uplands to dream of. We are already there.

World peace allows of no tribes, no cultures, no diversity, no in-groups, no out-groups; no partisanship, no contest, no sport, no allegiance, no competition for resource, no protection, no defence, no pre-emption, no satisfying, no compromise at all in the name of optimisation or accommodation.

It implies no love, for love implies preferment. Irony: taken to their logical conclusion, love and peace are mutually exclusive.

Peace requires no hesitancy, no uncertainty, no opportunity to improve: the objects of universe are mapped, their infinite trajectories mapped, calculated and projected to the end of time; that we are disempowered automatons on strict deterministic rails; we know and accept and will doggedly do that, and only that which we have to, to stay upon them.

There are no disputes, doubts, disagreements or contrarians. If a contrarian were even possible it would simply be a person who is wrong. But a contrarian would not be possible. Error would not be possible. Indecision would not be possible. If it were possible to err, it would be possible to dispute the consensus, and that would create conflict.

Lasting world peace implies, in short, the end of days.


See also