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On 14/09/2022 23:28, bill w wrote:<br>
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cite="mid:mailman.202.1663194525.1444.extropy-chat@lists.extropy.org">
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<div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:"comic sans
ms",sans-serif;font-size:large;color:rgb(0,0,0)">Even
those of us who don't know much of history, like myself,
know of horrible practices (as we see them today) that
people loved in the past, such as public hangings, burning
at the stake, drawing and quartering, people being eaten by
lions and more and more.</div>
<div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:"comic sans
ms",sans-serif;font-size:large;color:rgb(0,0,0)"><br>
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<div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:"comic sans
ms",sans-serif;font-size:large;color:rgb(0,0,0)">Does
anyone here think that any of these will become widely
popular in the future? I cannot see it. Clearly human
nature has not evolved, but morality has, and such things as
tolerance of homosexuality and intolerance of pedophilia
will increase and not retrogress.</div>
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ms",sans-serif;font-size:large;color:rgb(0,0,0)"><br>
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<div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:"comic sans
ms",sans-serif;font-size:large;color:rgb(0,0,0)">This
is all bottom up: no authorities have made rules or laws
that require us to change our minds about morality, This is
evolution. bill w</div>
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<br>
No, that's not evolution. I'd be inclined to call it current
fashion, peer pressure, or societal trends. Absolutely no reason why
it couldn't go back, as far as I can see. I suspect it won't, and of
course hope it won't, but people in general just aren't that
enlightened. For most people, I reckon the reason they don't kill
gays and enslave women, or enjoy public displays of violence towards
other humans, is that their neighbours don't, rather than that it's
inherently bad. Look at the places where those things do happen. Do
the people do anything to prevent it? No. They take part, or at
least allow it to happen. Many many people want these things, they
just can't have them (in most of the western world, at least, most
of the time, for now, and that could easily change).<br>
<br>
When we see spontaneous mass objections to people being stoned to
death in muslim countries, chinese citizens rising up against the
human rights abuses by their government, the russian people removing
their corrupt leaders, africans deposing their evil bishops, etc.,
etc., then I'll be persuaded to change my mind. That would be
brilliant, but I can't see it happening.<br>
<br>
Even in your own country, I'm sure you know there are plenty of
people who would gladly kill gay people, athiests, women who want
abortions, etc., if they thought they could get away with it. The
fact that they can't is probably due more to random historical
events than evidence of increasing morality in humans.<br>
<br>
Ben<br>
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