Long-termism is the notion that we are not only responsible to help the current generation, but we are also responsible to make sure that those positive impacts last long into the future. Upon reading the question, “Do you agree that when people say they don't care about the long-term future of humanity they're effectively declaring that their death obliterates the moral universe?” I was interested to understand the intentionality of the people saying they “don’t care about a long term future.” I agree with the statement above for, what I believe to be, obvious reasons: If I have kids I want them to have better lives, living conditions, government, etc. However, I did not always think this way. From class discussions and life experiences I have brainstormed over two thoughts. 1. Antinatalism effectively concurs with long-termism and 2.Religion directly contradicts long-termism.
Anti-natalism has been a somewhat often talked about subject during class times and I believe it effectively concurs with long-termism. The view in anti-natalism is that life is inherently bad and immoral. It states that more bad than good comes from it, therefore, it would be better to remain in a state of neutrality and unknowingness by never being born. An antinatalist’s true goal is to rid the world from unethical, immoral, and inherently bad lives. Which would, in turn, create a better world without humans messing everything up. Is this not a long-termist idea? The world would undoubtedly be better suited for a healthy life without the human parasite destroying it from the inside. Do you believe that life and people are inherently bad? If so, do you also agree that not having children would effectively promise a better life for them because of the fact that no bad could happen to them?
I mentioned above I did not always agree with the question posed by Dr. Oliver. I was raised in a very conservative Church of Christ in Smyrna, TN. When people in this community were faced with questions like this one they were content believing that nothing they do could have a real effect on human kind. Instead, God has a plan and this plan will occur whether you care about the long term of humanity or not. Karl Marx refers to religion as “the opium of the people”. It keeps the proletariat happy when there is really nothing to be happy about in life to make sure they do not rise up and create a better life for themselves. Do you believe that religion is effectively keeping communities happy and ignorant during a human caused environmental crisis?
"Pyramid of Capitalist System", issued by Nedeljkovich, Brashick and Kuharich, Cleveland: The International Publishing Co., 1911.
For the history majors in this class....I believe that this critique of capitalism published in 1911 effectively shows the place of religion in a capitalist economy.
Tanner, your post was a very interesting read (in a good way!) My main interest in your post lies within the concept of how long-termism contracts with religion. For some reason, despite being an atheist, I seem to have a lot of opinions on religion. In answering your final question: yes, I do believe that religious views can impact how people view what is going on in our world, even the environmental crisis. And I think that is because of the point you made, that people excuse things by saying "oh, god has a plan". And I am in no way saying that all people who believe in god have this view point or make this comment, it is just something I have noticed, even apart from the current environment crisis. I just think it is something people who believe in god like to tell themselves when something bad happens, or is happening. I also now see how long-termism/ just feeling responsible for the future generations in general does in a way contradict religion. Because if god has a plan, then whatever you try to do to make things better for the future generations won't matter. Overall, I think you made some very good points within your post and I also love the pyramid you put in at the bottom!
ReplyDeleteDefinitely, any Master Plan (be it religious, deterministic, fatalistic, whatever) would effectively render our own choices and acts irrelevant (except insofar as they'd been precisely pre-scripted in the Plan, which by my lights would make them not free choices at all).
ReplyDeleteWith respect to the personal psychology of Long Term thinking, I noted in class my affinity for Michael Chabon's "Omega Glory" essay. It concludes:
"...in having children—in engendering them, in loving them, in teaching them to love and care about the world—parents are betting, whether they know it or not, on the Clock of the Long Now. They are betting on their children, and their children after them, and theirs beyond them, all the way down the line from now to 12,006. If you don’t believe in the Future, unreservedly and dreamingly, if you aren’t willing to bet that somebody will be there to cry when the Clock finally, ten thousand years from now,runs down, then I don’t see how you can have children. If you have children, I don’t see how you can fail to do everything in your power to ensure that you win your bet, and that they, and their grandchildren, and their grandchildren’s randchildren, will inherit a world whose perfection can never be accomplished by creatures whose imagination for perfecting it is limitless and free. And I don’t see how anybody can force me to pay up on my bet if I turn out, in the end, to be wrong."
You can read the entire essay here: http://media.longnow.org/files/2/Michael_Chabon_-_The_Omega_Glory.pdf
Regarding your comment whether religion is keeping people pleasantly oblivious to a human-made environmental crisis, I agree... in part. I think the issue here runs deeper than just religion. The Roman poet Juvenal is credited with the phrase, "give them bread and circuses and they will never revolt." Essentially, so long as people are comfortable and entertained they will put up with a lot of crap. Sure, religion keeps individuals comfortable, but it is not the only culprit when it comes to passivity.
ReplyDeleteLets face it: living an environmentally friendly lifestyle is a pain in the rear. Sure, you don't use a straw or plastic bag at the grocery store, but how much does that REALLY make a difference? Most individuals will waste 15+ gallons of water just using the toilet every day (1). Even the most environmentally conservative Americans have almost double the carbon footprint compared to individuals in other countries (2). Do we really want to use naturally composting sewer systems? Do we want to walk everywhere (the average American commutes 16 miles in a day, that's roughly eight hours of walking)(3)? Do we want to live a primitive lifestyle (compared to our current one) just to have the chance of saving the world? Not really.
So, while religion may aggravate environmental passivity, humans have been lazy without religion.
1. https://www.watercalculator.org/posts/toilet/
2. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080428120658.htm
3. https://itstillruns.com/far-americans-drive-work-average-7446397.html