Why I support Social Darwinism
-
Social Darwinism is the philosophy of true free market capitalism. It holds that the main purpose of government is to defend the nation against foreign invasion and to protect citizens and their property from criminals. It decries the payment of benefits as inculcating an attitude of 'entitlement', and thus being conducive to idleness and stupidity. It maintains the rights of property owners. It opposes laws that regulate housing, sanitation, and health conditions, together with working conditions, maximum hours and minimum wages, as interfering with those rights. It supports the freedom of individual workers to negotiate their terms of employment, rather than have them imposed by unions. It rejects the concept of a government funded school system, which places the burden of education on the taxpayer. Simply put, parents are responsible for the literacy and numeracy of their children. Should industry require specific skills in its workforce, it must meet the cost of selecting and training individuals through scholarships and apprenticeships. It rejects the concept of government funded healthcare, again placing the responsibility upon the individual to make provision for their, and their family's, health. It encourages the characteristics of industriousness, frugality, the desire to own property, and the ability to accumulate wealth, as being beneficial both to the individual and society. Social Darwinism thus ensures the evolution of civilization towards a peaceful, industrious, society, by a form of 'natural selection'.
Bob Emmett
Bob Emmett wrote:
It decries the payment of benefits as inculcating an attitude of 'entitlement', and thus being conducive to idleness and stupidity.
In theory, in practice it's the most blatant display of entitlement by those who consider themselves to be above everyone else, who are obviously simply idle and stupid, otherwise they'd be successful and have money too. Because what is there possibly that could cause someone to not be able to have money? While at the same time is used to declare that those successful people should not have to pay those stupid, idle loafers any more than a pence a day because if they were worth anything, they would have money. It's fucking asinine. Personally, I just say take the safety labels off anything short of industrial equipment. That should curb stupidity fairly quickly.
-
Bob Emmett wrote:
It decries the payment of benefits as inculcating an attitude of 'entitlement', and thus being conducive to idleness and stupidity.
In theory, in practice it's the most blatant display of entitlement by those who consider themselves to be above everyone else, who are obviously simply idle and stupid, otherwise they'd be successful and have money too. Because what is there possibly that could cause someone to not be able to have money? While at the same time is used to declare that those successful people should not have to pay those stupid, idle loafers any more than a pence a day because if they were worth anything, they would have money. It's fucking asinine. Personally, I just say take the safety labels off anything short of industrial equipment. That should curb stupidity fairly quickly.
-
I saw an interesting label on a bottle of English mustard yesterday, under the allergens section on the back, it stated: "This product contains mustard". :|
He who makes a beast out of himself gets rid of the pain of being a man.
I've seen similar labels on peanut bags: "May contain traces of nuts". NO SHIT SHERLOCK? :-D
-- Kein Mitleid Für Die Mehrheit
-
I've seen similar labels on peanut bags: "May contain traces of nuts". NO SHIT SHERLOCK? :-D
-- Kein Mitleid Für Die Mehrheit
"Hold stick near centre of its length. Moisten pointed end in mouth. Insert in tooth space, blunt end next to gum. Use gentle in-out motion. 'It seemed to me,' said Wonko the Sane, 'that any civilization that had so far lost its head as to need to include a set of detailed instructions for use in a packet of toothpicks, was no longer a civilization in which I could live and stay sane.'" -- Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Proud to have finally moved to the A-Ark. Which one are you in?
Author of the Guardians Saga (Sci-Fi/Fantasy novels) -
Bob Emmett wrote:
But there is no right to be the best you can be, merely an aspiration on one's own part.
It's not a question of rights, it's a question of what benefits society as a whole. It benefits society for people like the Wright Brothers and Bill Gates to be able to invent and innovate. OK, not Bill Gates. You get my point.
Bob Emmett wrote:
Parents are responsible for ensuring that their children are literate and numerate. That does not mean that they have to teach the children themselves. As stated, the equivalent of a Dame School is all that is required to teach the basics.
Well, again, you're saying that the poor cannot afford schooling, so their kids stay poor. The issue is not one of right, it's that society wins when people are educated.
Bob Emmett wrote:
Secondary education is obtained by applying for scholarships awarded by corporations. Similarly, further and higher education are provided by apprenticeships and scholarships.
So, capitalism is our friend, the companies shower us with benevolence, etc ? Why did they not do this then, before an element of socialism in government forced them to not exploit workers ?
Bob Emmett wrote:
Scholarships and apprenticeships are awarded on assessment of aptitude and ability. The education obtained is free at point of entry, but the successful are indentured to the corporation providing the education.
Ability and aptitude are not inate. They need to be nurtured. Those who cannot afford schooling will never show their ability or their aptitude,
Bob Emmett wrote:
There will always be uneducated manual labourers, and they will always be exploited, because they are not very bright.
So long as they can expect to have a roof over their head, and to be decently fed, and to not have to risk their lives at work, I have no problem with that.
Bob Emmett wrote:
Reworded slightly as: Lots of people looking for work, they get paid the market rate to do it, before being replaced by someone younger with newer credentials, and it describes IT. Not many uneducated manual labourers there.
Well, does it ? That's not my experience. I was 30 when I started and am 41 now, and my wage just keeps rising
Christian Graus wrote:
It's not a question of rights, it's a question of what benefits society as a whole.
And what benefits society as a whole is the generation of wealth. Didn't the Wright brothers build bicycles and so finance their innovation in aeronautics?
Christian Graus wrote:
Well, again, you're saying that the poor cannot afford schooling, so their kids stay poor.
You are also failing to note that we are starting from 21st century - not the 19th. We now have a large number of literate and numerate pensioners capable of providing a basic education.
Christian Graus wrote:
So, capitalism is our friend, the companies shower us with benevolence, etc ? Why did they not do this then, before an element of socialism in government forced them to not exploit workers ?
Capitalism is not your friend and is not benevolent. When the need for a numerate and literate workforce became apparent, government began to provide schooling, corporations were not required to provide it themselves - other than as craft apprenticeships. Capitalism will always make use of a 'free' resource. Workers are not exploited by being offered the market rate for their skill set. Offering any more renders a company less competitive in the market place. Unions become as exploitative as corporations, damaging the country's economy.
Christian Graus wrote:
Ability and aptitude are not inate.
They are. They are revealed by circumstance. Hence Gray's contemplation of the unrealised potential among the occupants of the Country Churchyard. Some Christian Grauss inglorious here may rest. Some Bill Gates, guiltless of his Microsoft. Any chance of a programming career in 1751? Where a corporation requires skills it will nurture them. It will provide the schooling (or poach from others who have done so - hence the indenturing).
Christian Graus wrote:
So long as they can expect to have a roof over their head, and to be decently fed, and to not have to risk their lives at work, I have no problem with that.
Great, then you will be among the first to contribute to the charitable concerns that will make this so. Though, as for risking their lives at work, that is a choice they must make for themselves.
-
Christian Graus wrote:
Every inefficiency that could exist in government, can equally exist in the business sector.
Not unless the private insurer is acting as though they are a monopoly. In the business sector, the inefficiency of dead wood is not usually tolerated, and chopped out, otherwise it affect the bottom line.
Richard A. Abbott wrote:
n the business sector, the inefficiency of dead wood is not usually tolerated, and chopped out, otherwise it affect the bottom line.
So the story goes. But, it's not really true. So long as the business makes money, there are all sorts of reasons for inefficiencies to be allowed to exist.
Christian Graus Driven to the arms of OSX by Vista. Read my blog to find out how I've worked around bugs in Microsoft tools and frameworks.
-
Christian Graus wrote:
It's not a question of rights, it's a question of what benefits society as a whole.
And what benefits society as a whole is the generation of wealth. Didn't the Wright brothers build bicycles and so finance their innovation in aeronautics?
Christian Graus wrote:
Well, again, you're saying that the poor cannot afford schooling, so their kids stay poor.
You are also failing to note that we are starting from 21st century - not the 19th. We now have a large number of literate and numerate pensioners capable of providing a basic education.
Christian Graus wrote:
So, capitalism is our friend, the companies shower us with benevolence, etc ? Why did they not do this then, before an element of socialism in government forced them to not exploit workers ?
Capitalism is not your friend and is not benevolent. When the need for a numerate and literate workforce became apparent, government began to provide schooling, corporations were not required to provide it themselves - other than as craft apprenticeships. Capitalism will always make use of a 'free' resource. Workers are not exploited by being offered the market rate for their skill set. Offering any more renders a company less competitive in the market place. Unions become as exploitative as corporations, damaging the country's economy.
Christian Graus wrote:
Ability and aptitude are not inate.
They are. They are revealed by circumstance. Hence Gray's contemplation of the unrealised potential among the occupants of the Country Churchyard. Some Christian Grauss inglorious here may rest. Some Bill Gates, guiltless of his Microsoft. Any chance of a programming career in 1751? Where a corporation requires skills it will nurture them. It will provide the schooling (or poach from others who have done so - hence the indenturing).
Christian Graus wrote:
So long as they can expect to have a roof over their head, and to be decently fed, and to not have to risk their lives at work, I have no problem with that.
Great, then you will be among the first to contribute to the charitable concerns that will make this so. Though, as for risking their lives at work, that is a choice they must make for themselves.
Bob Emmett wrote:
And what benefits society as a whole is the generation of wealth.
Rubbish. If you remove the existence of a middle class, you remove the possibility of wide spread wealth because you remove the market for most non essential services. The generation of wealth benefits the person who is wealthy, not society as a whole.
Bob Emmett wrote:
You are also failing to note that we are starting from 21st century - not the 19th. We now have a large number of literate and numerate pensioners capable of providing a basic education.
So you're saying they will do so for free ? Or you're saying if we don't pay a pension, they'll be forced to do it for whatever money people can afford to give them ? You're also neglecting that a truly free system resulted in boys being hired to do manual work from age 8 or 9. The issue is not just finding teachers, it's that if the market is free to exploit basic labourers any way it wants to, their kids will often be co-opted in to work at an early age to help make ends meet. At the end of the day, the differences between the 21st and 19th centuries, are the result of society NOT pursuing the policies you suggest.
Bob Emmett wrote:
Workers are not exploited by being offered the market rate for their skill set. Offering any more renders a company less competitive in the market place. Unions become as exploitative as corporations, damaging the country's economy.
Well, that depends on if you believe humans have any intrinsic value or worth, or if they are merely fleshy robots, free to be exploited for the good of the system. Walmart wants to sell goods as cheap as it can. So, it wants to keep it's costs down. If they can pay as little as they like, and if people have no other options, then the price they pay will push ever downwards, until people are working for less than it costs to live. Hell, I think that's already happened. People who have more than enough money to live benefit, because they can get cheaper goods as a result. A fair society has a real, livable minimum wage, which pushes prices up at Walmart, but the people with better jobs can afford that, they are simply required to pay a price for goods that reflects the people who make it possible being paid enough to live. That is a form of socialism, but it is also fair. That is an example of how pure capitalism works to ben
-
Bob Emmett wrote:
It decries the payment of benefits as inculcating an attitude of 'entitlement', and thus being conducive to idleness and stupidity.
In theory, in practice it's the most blatant display of entitlement by those who consider themselves to be above everyone else, who are obviously simply idle and stupid, otherwise they'd be successful and have money too. Because what is there possibly that could cause someone to not be able to have money? While at the same time is used to declare that those successful people should not have to pay those stupid, idle loafers any more than a pence a day because if they were worth anything, they would have money. It's fucking asinine. Personally, I just say take the safety labels off anything short of industrial equipment. That should curb stupidity fairly quickly.
Distind wrote:
In theory, in practice it's the most blatant display of entitlement by those who consider themselves to be above everyone else, who are obviously simply idle and stupid, otherwise they'd be successful and have money too
You forgot the joke icon.
Christian Graus Driven to the arms of OSX by Vista. Read my blog to find out how I've worked around bugs in Microsoft tools and frameworks.
-
Social Darwinism is the philosophy of true free market capitalism. It holds that the main purpose of government is to defend the nation against foreign invasion and to protect citizens and their property from criminals. It decries the payment of benefits as inculcating an attitude of 'entitlement', and thus being conducive to idleness and stupidity. It maintains the rights of property owners. It opposes laws that regulate housing, sanitation, and health conditions, together with working conditions, maximum hours and minimum wages, as interfering with those rights. It supports the freedom of individual workers to negotiate their terms of employment, rather than have them imposed by unions. It rejects the concept of a government funded school system, which places the burden of education on the taxpayer. Simply put, parents are responsible for the literacy and numeracy of their children. Should industry require specific skills in its workforce, it must meet the cost of selecting and training individuals through scholarships and apprenticeships. It rejects the concept of government funded healthcare, again placing the responsibility upon the individual to make provision for their, and their family's, health. It encourages the characteristics of industriousness, frugality, the desire to own property, and the ability to accumulate wealth, as being beneficial both to the individual and society. Social Darwinism thus ensures the evolution of civilization towards a peaceful, industrious, society, by a form of 'natural selection'.
Bob Emmett
Some of these ideas are good. Others not so much.
Bob Emmett wrote:
It holds that the main purpose of government is to defend the nation against foreign invasion and to protect citizens and their property from criminals.
Good
Bob Emmett wrote:
It decries the payment of benefits as inculcating an attitude of 'entitlement', and thus being conducive to idleness and stupidity.
Good
Bob Emmett wrote:
It opposes laws that regulate housing, sanitation, and health conditions, together with working conditions, maximum hours and minimum wages, as interfering with those rights.
Er what? Does "housing" include things like fire and building codes that keep a errant cigarette from destroying an entire building. Sanitation? I don't want the streets flowing with raw sewage... For the rest, I guess if the workers are unhappy they are free to quit.
Bob Emmett wrote:
It rejects the concept of a government funded school system
It would be great if the breeders would pay for all this. Except for the fact that A: Not all of them would. B: If little Johny doesn't get a minimum edumucation the chances of him carjacking me skyrocket. Kicking in some money up front for book learning will probably help keep crime down.
Bob Emmett wrote:
It rejects the concept of government funded healthcare
Good
Bob Emmett wrote:
It encourages the characteristics of industriousness, frugality, the desire to own property, and the ability to accumulate wealth, as being beneficial both to the individual and society.
Good
-
Some of these ideas are good. Others not so much.
Bob Emmett wrote:
It holds that the main purpose of government is to defend the nation against foreign invasion and to protect citizens and their property from criminals.
Good
Bob Emmett wrote:
It decries the payment of benefits as inculcating an attitude of 'entitlement', and thus being conducive to idleness and stupidity.
Good
Bob Emmett wrote:
It opposes laws that regulate housing, sanitation, and health conditions, together with working conditions, maximum hours and minimum wages, as interfering with those rights.
Er what? Does "housing" include things like fire and building codes that keep a errant cigarette from destroying an entire building. Sanitation? I don't want the streets flowing with raw sewage... For the rest, I guess if the workers are unhappy they are free to quit.
Bob Emmett wrote:
It rejects the concept of a government funded school system
It would be great if the breeders would pay for all this. Except for the fact that A: Not all of them would. B: If little Johny doesn't get a minimum edumucation the chances of him carjacking me skyrocket. Kicking in some money up front for book learning will probably help keep crime down.
Bob Emmett wrote:
It rejects the concept of government funded healthcare
Good
Bob Emmett wrote:
It encourages the characteristics of industriousness, frugality, the desire to own property, and the ability to accumulate wealth, as being beneficial both to the individual and society.
Good
thrakazog wrote:
If little Johny doesn't get a minimum edumucation the chances of him carjacking me skyrocket.
Exactly. It's not about welfare, it's about the common good. It's not just a handout, society wins when people have access to education.
Christian Graus Driven to the arms of OSX by Vista. Read my blog to find out how I've worked around bugs in Microsoft tools and frameworks.
-
Social Darwinism is the philosophy of true free market capitalism. It holds that the main purpose of government is to defend the nation against foreign invasion and to protect citizens and their property from criminals. It decries the payment of benefits as inculcating an attitude of 'entitlement', and thus being conducive to idleness and stupidity. It maintains the rights of property owners. It opposes laws that regulate housing, sanitation, and health conditions, together with working conditions, maximum hours and minimum wages, as interfering with those rights. It supports the freedom of individual workers to negotiate their terms of employment, rather than have them imposed by unions. It rejects the concept of a government funded school system, which places the burden of education on the taxpayer. Simply put, parents are responsible for the literacy and numeracy of their children. Should industry require specific skills in its workforce, it must meet the cost of selecting and training individuals through scholarships and apprenticeships. It rejects the concept of government funded healthcare, again placing the responsibility upon the individual to make provision for their, and their family's, health. It encourages the characteristics of industriousness, frugality, the desire to own property, and the ability to accumulate wealth, as being beneficial both to the individual and society. Social Darwinism thus ensures the evolution of civilization towards a peaceful, industrious, society, by a form of 'natural selection'.
Bob Emmett
Bob Emmett wrote:
Social Darwinism thus ensures the evolution of civilization towards a peaceful, industrious, society, by a form of 'natural selection'.
The rest has been taken care of, but I didn't see where anyone had taken on this little gem. Social Darwinism is to Evolution what Time Cube is to Quantum Theory. Social Darwinism is an attempt to sound all scientifical about what in previous generations was called Divine Right (That is, the idea the rich and powerful can use the poor however they like because they "deserve" to be rich and powerful). Ignoring the obvious fallacy of confusing "is" and "ought" for one second, anyone actually attempting to have humans "naturally select" for the better specimens would give all humans in the exact same starting wealth and education opportunities, so as to lessen the effects of dumb luck on the selection process.
-
Some of these ideas are good. Others not so much.
Bob Emmett wrote:
It holds that the main purpose of government is to defend the nation against foreign invasion and to protect citizens and their property from criminals.
Good
Bob Emmett wrote:
It decries the payment of benefits as inculcating an attitude of 'entitlement', and thus being conducive to idleness and stupidity.
Good
Bob Emmett wrote:
It opposes laws that regulate housing, sanitation, and health conditions, together with working conditions, maximum hours and minimum wages, as interfering with those rights.
Er what? Does "housing" include things like fire and building codes that keep a errant cigarette from destroying an entire building. Sanitation? I don't want the streets flowing with raw sewage... For the rest, I guess if the workers are unhappy they are free to quit.
Bob Emmett wrote:
It rejects the concept of a government funded school system
It would be great if the breeders would pay for all this. Except for the fact that A: Not all of them would. B: If little Johny doesn't get a minimum edumucation the chances of him carjacking me skyrocket. Kicking in some money up front for book learning will probably help keep crime down.
Bob Emmett wrote:
It rejects the concept of government funded healthcare
Good
Bob Emmett wrote:
It encourages the characteristics of industriousness, frugality, the desire to own property, and the ability to accumulate wealth, as being beneficial both to the individual and society.
Good
Our mutual friend posted asking why we 'supported' such a pathetic concept as Social Darwinism. As he declined to define what he meant by Social Darwinism (probably Eugenics, Genocide, ...), I posted this to demonstrate that the free unfettered market was, in fact, the original model for Social Darwinism. My to-and-fro with CG was simply me being perverse.
Bob Emmett New Eugenicist - The weekly magazine for intelligent parenting.
-
Bob Emmett wrote:
Social Darwinism thus ensures the evolution of civilization towards a peaceful, industrious, society, by a form of 'natural selection'.
The rest has been taken care of, but I didn't see where anyone had taken on this little gem. Social Darwinism is to Evolution what Time Cube is to Quantum Theory. Social Darwinism is an attempt to sound all scientifical about what in previous generations was called Divine Right (That is, the idea the rich and powerful can use the poor however they like because they "deserve" to be rich and powerful). Ignoring the obvious fallacy of confusing "is" and "ought" for one second, anyone actually attempting to have humans "naturally select" for the better specimens would give all humans in the exact same starting wealth and education opportunities, so as to lessen the effects of dumb luck on the selection process.
-
Bob Emmett wrote:
It decries the payment of benefits as inculcating an attitude of 'entitlement', and thus being conducive to idleness and stupidity.
In theory, in practice it's the most blatant display of entitlement by those who consider themselves to be above everyone else, who are obviously simply idle and stupid, otherwise they'd be successful and have money too. Because what is there possibly that could cause someone to not be able to have money? While at the same time is used to declare that those successful people should not have to pay those stupid, idle loafers any more than a pence a day because if they were worth anything, they would have money. It's fucking asinine. Personally, I just say take the safety labels off anything short of industrial equipment. That should curb stupidity fairly quickly.