[extropy-chat] Cults/drugs

[Dirk Bruere]

On 2/16/06, Keith Henson <hkhenson at rogers.com> wrote:
> At 07:45 PM 2/16/2006 +0000, Dirk wrote:
>
> snip
>
> >4) Caveat Emptor - I do not like the idea that people should be 'saved
> >from themselves' when they do something you don't like. What
> >consenting adults do amongst themselves is not my business, nor is it
> >yours IMO.
>
> Being deeply influenced by RAH, I held this position for decades, one might
> say I was cult-ish about it even.
>
> And in *most* cases I still feel that way.
>
> However, humans are _social_ primates.  To an extent that is not well
> understood yet, sanity is a group endeavor and so is the heavy reduction in
> the ability to think rationally when caught up in xenophobic war memes.
>
> The practical problem with cults, particularly scientology, is that
> consenting adults pay drug level prices to get intense attention that
> releases their brain reward chemicals.  "So what?" you say, "Shrinks are in
> exactly the same game."  Well, the cult uses the drug level profits to pay
> lawyers to harass critics in court and PI thugs to harass them and stalk
> their kids.

Whereas the real 'war on drugs' fills the prisons and the drug money,
some $500billion pa, goes to corrupting governments and financial
institutions on a planetary scale. Elron is petty when viewed in that
light. That's where the 'save them from themselves' leads. I'm not
buying *any* of it.

Dirk