gad-fly wrote: ↑April 1st, 2020, 11:42 am
Greta wrote: ↑March 31st, 2020, 2:32 am
However, seeing the dishonest toxicity on display by the US, China and Russia, separation and greater independence might be safer for smaller nations than accepting their poisoned offers to "help".
I take you to recommend distancing on the Global Village between developed and developing countries. This political distancing may be said to copy social distancing between individuals as advocated in the present pandemic. It cannot be denied that some international aids programs, like the Marshall Plan, are genuine self-depleting offers to help other countries in distress. It may be said that the US also receive benefit from the Marshall Plan by helping Europe and hence the world economy recover.
Nevertheless, most of the offers to help other countries develop and recover stem from self interest. The Silk Road iss no exception. These offers, whether dressed as charity or not, would benefit more who has more bargaining power, like in a buyers or sellers market. Yes, it can even be sweeten poison.
I believe distancing on the Global Village will be the trend and, to some reasonable degree, the right course to follow. Produce more locally, travel more locally, rely more on yourself, accept and welcome diversity. Different living standard between countries is fine, as long as each is satisfied. Let hundreds of flowers bloom.
As with any other species, there are limits to how many humans can congregate and remain happy. After a certain size, we increasingly only achieve order by denying freedom of speech, movement, association and action to individuals (who are not part of the corrupt power cliques, of course). The dynamic is still in play, of course.
Very large and crowded societies - while being ghastly for most citizens - always win the battle of group selection (natural selection for groups). The larger, more crowded, aggressive and disease-ridden a nation, the more successful it will be in destroying or assimilating the competition. For examples, look at how colonialism transpired in prior centuries.
Thus, the types of society selected - the only ones ultimately capable of defending themselves - will ever more be the worst societies in which ordinary people can live and grow.
If you feel like it is impossible to get or do anything of value without struggling against hordes of others wanting the same thing, then your society is probably well suited to survive. If life is sweet, with plenty of leisure time, freedom, safety and the chance to think about the big questions of life, then your society is on borrowed time.
Humans are no more the architects of their fate than any other species. While individual humans are capable of some (ostensible) freedom, en masse, we have been led by the nose without even the slightest choice - just like any other species. And we have been led by evolution and group selection into forming societies that treat us poorly.