Evolution of Society

[mediumaevum]

Do you think that society will eventually evolve into a somewhat poorer (in material terms) society but more humane?

Generally, I can see and draw a direct timeline of society's evolution as such:

1. Hunter-gatherers.

2. Farmers, developing the idea of a systematized religion, in order to cheat each other to not do bad stuff, or else the wrath of the mighty man above the clouds in the sky, will eventually punish you when you are dead and go into another world in the afterlife. This was a way to maintain order. We could say that those societies that had developed this idea, was more likely to survive than those who didn't believe in such a religion, because the society at that time was very vulnerable to change and revolt.

3. Philosophy about how the world came into being evolved from the most civilized cultures. The most likely scenarios available to their minds of their own knowledge and experience of the world became the most founded ideas, such as the idea of the four elements (fire, water, air, dirt) and that everything is a combination of fire, water, air and dirt.

4. Medieval world, where the combination of the early classical science-philosophy (the two were only seperated in the 17th century) and religion became interwoven in a book (The Bible and various biblical derivations and medieval philosophies and theologies).

5. Renaissance, when the states of Northern Europe wanted to be seperated and liberate themselves from the Roman Catholic Church. In the southern states of Europe, such as Venice and Milano, it was actually the merchant family of the Medici who had the grip of the Church, not the other way around). Economics and Politics became scientific studies themselves, one of such examples is Nicoló Machiavelli's "The Prince" describing how politics works.

6. Baroque era, when the sciences and philosophies were seperated. The elite began to re-think the entire concept of society and religion. Several Feudal Monarchies, where the king was bound by the nobilities and the clergymen, evolved into Absolute Monarchies, where the state is controlling the religion.

7. Smithonian economics (from Adam Smith, in 1776) became popularized throughout the late 18th century and throughout the whole 19th century till this day, described just how liberty should prevail, and that the "invisible hand" needed no God, but had its roots in humanity coorporating in their own interest to produce goods in the interest of society as a whole.

8. Then 19th century, where politics became completely seperated from religion. Now everything was about embetterment of society, and bettering the life of the poor, especially after Charle's Dickens books and the book Uncle Sam's Cabbin (and similar books). People wanted improvement of the society, improvement of the poor, but the Conservatives, not really religious at all, wanted the things to stay the way or actually revert back to the old times and "teach the poor a lesson" (punishment for being poor).

9. The 20th century where everything had to be mechanized, and materialism finally prevailed above the immaterial values. Caring about the poor or disabled was frowned upon, even mass-murdered for being weak. Stalin, Hitler, Pol-Pot are all examples of how the popular mind became so fascinated of materials, that they threw all human values away.

10. The early 21st century, where the electronics have become the vital part of everyday life. Religion is only a subject in the U.S. In every other civilized western culture, religion plays little to no role, and religious parties in Europe rarely if never, talk religion, but ethics and morality instead. Only people who are financial experts or a genius or some other type of mastermind, are valued.

Now, do you think that we would eventually loosen a bit on our material values, and go back to the ethics, based not upon religion, but upon our lessons from history?
Or will history simply be forgotten and someone else would have to write something like:

"11. The author of this thread was brutally executed amongst the millions of others who couldn't provide for themselves, were disabled or in some other way didn't comply with society."

[Mister Agenda]

Hmm. We're going in the direction of it being less costly to provide necessities and harder to find work. I would guess that we're not going to become materially poorer, but we won't have as much stuff because either the stuff we have will be changeable (smart matter) or transient (manufactured for the moment and tossed into recycling when no longer needed). The means of production will decentralize.

They say sex and money have in common that you don't think about them as much when you have plenty. Perhaps that will be true of posessions as well, and we'll obsess less about acquiring and owning things when it's no longer an issue.

[Solitary]

In 6,000 years of recorded history mankind is as brutal and superstitious as ever, and money is power, because it is pragmatic for survival. So no, I don't think mankind will change for the better and probably get worse as resources are used up.  :shock:  :(  Solitary

[mediumaevum]

In 6,000 years of recorded history mankind is as brutal and superstitious as ever, and money is power, because it is pragmatic for survival. So no, I don't think mankind will change for the better and probably get worse as resources are used up.  :shock:  :(  Solitary

So... you are essentially telling me to commit suicide to avoid persecution?

[Solitary]

In 6,000 years of recorded history mankind is as brutal and superstitious as ever, and money is power, because it is pragmatic for survival. So no, I don't think mankind will change for the better and probably get worse as resources are used up.  :shock:  :(  Solitary

So... you are essentially telling me to commit suicide to avoid persecution?

WTF! No! If I meant that I would have told you to commit suicide period. Where does persecution come into the picture? You asked if things will get better, I don't think so. How in the hell do you think that response means I think you should commit suicide for any reason? Do you honestly think people are anymore spiritual and good now with terrorists and wars, beheadings in Africa and the Middle East. Every day shootings in the USA. Rich getting richer and poor getting poorer? Environment and resources depleting as the population is out of control. You really think with all those problems people are going to get nicer to each other and be less materialistic? Where has any religion made people nicer and more spiritual, even the Monks in China went on a rampage recently.  :roll:  Solitary

[frosty]

I think you seriously need to quit whining like a baby in every thread about your situation in life. You say, when there is even an idea of slashing social welfare, that you want asteroids and comets to come and obliterate humanity, particularly your homeland. You seriously just need to shut the fuck up and be thankful for what you have, it's getting sickening seeing your self-absorbed, hateful and sometimes even violent posts.

[mediumaevum]

In 6,000 years of recorded history mankind is as brutal and superstitious as ever, and money is power, because it is pragmatic for survival. So no, I don't think mankind will change for the better and probably get worse as resources are used up.  :shock:  :(  Solitary

So... you are essentially telling me to commit suicide to avoid persecution?

WTF! No! If I meant that I would have told you to commit suicide period. Where does persecution come into the picture? You asked if things will get better, I don't think so. How in the hell do you think that response means I think you should commit suicide for any reason? Do you honestly think people are anymore spiritual and good now with terrorists and wars, beheadings in Africa and the Middle East. Every day shootings in the USA. Rich getting richer and poor getting poorer? Environment and resources depleting as the population is out of control. You really think with all those problems people are going to get nicer to each other and be less materialistic? Where has any religion made people nicer and more spiritual, even the Monks in China went on a rampage recently.  :roll:  Solitary

Sorry, but that was the reasoning I logically could come to.

I hope it is flawed.

[mediumaevum]

I think you seriously need to quit whining like a baby in every thread about your situation in life. You say, when there is even an idea of slashing social welfare, that you want asteroids and comets to come and obliterate humanity, particularly your homeland. You seriously just need to shut the fuck up and be thankful for what you have, it's getting sickening seeing your self-absorbed, hateful and sometimes even violent posts.

I will do so (or, rather not doing this again).

I'm sorry.

[Solitary]

Look, life is hard for everyone, not just you. I have found that being alive and keeping busy enjoying the beauty in the world makes me happy. And if things are really bad I know they will end sooner or later and do everything to stay alive and enjoy life anyway I can. If you are always miserable, find out why you are, if it's work get a different job, if it's a relationship end it. You still can make choices based on how you think about things. If you don't know why you are seek help---what have you got to lose? Take care of yourself anyway you can because you are one of a kind and no one can take that away from you. Good luck! Solitary

[mykcob4]

Alright I read this look at history and find it wanting. I don't agree that that is all that has actually happened. In fact I believe that this is too simplistic and doesn't adequately cover the societal evolution in total.
I do believe that humanity will become more and more socialist out of need, that capitalism will be a mere vestage of itself caused by it's inherent corruption.
As the world population must feed itse;f, must find clean water, a world revolution will occur. It won't be distinguishable as a true revolution, more of an evolution.
What I truly think will happen is a total control by corproations based on greed. This will evolve to a government of sorts, and eventually turn into a "granny state" whereby individuals will have no power, no wealth, no rights. Thus out of pure need this government will be overthrown and chaos will ensue. Assets will be at risk for the ingenuitive and strong to take. Many will die, mostly out of starvation and disease. Humanity will have to start over and capitalism will be feared for centuries because of these events. It may happen in my lifetime but my guess it will happen in mid next century. Time for the undeveloped countries to catch up taste freedom then be denied.
New religions will spring up everywhere and power will lie in the hands of those that can control the most might, most assets and most followers to their propaganda. The only way to avoid this ofcourse is atheism and socialism but even those ideals will be corrupted as human nature and greed always prevail.

[Franklin]

Idiocracy

[frosty]

Idiocracy

You seem like too much of a retard to understand all you are doing is posting a link that is full of your own subjective opinions and you are no better than the Atheists you love to bash as a group.

[mykcob4]

Idiocracy

You seem like too much of a retard to understand all you are doing is posting a link that is full of your own subjective opinions and you are no better than the Atheists you love to bash as a group.

There is a grain of truth to 'Idiocracy'. I sense there is history between you and Franklin. I don't know what it is nor do I want to know.
The world is dumbed down by religion, pop culture, and corrupt corprate advertising/propaganda.

[frosty]

Idiocracy

You seem like too much of a retard to understand all you are doing is posting a link that is full of your own subjective opinions and you are no better than the Atheists you love to bash as a group.

There is a grain of truth to 'Idiocracy'. I sense there is history between you and Franklin. I don't know what it is nor do I want to know.
The world is dumbed down by religion, pop culture, and corrupt corprate advertising/propaganda.

Consider it a mixture of apparently posting one worded links being frowned upon, as well as him having an entire post history full of judging others and self-assuring himself of his beliefs at the expense of others. He came here to either convert people or make it clear what is faith is and how we can't change him, and it's getting old now.

I think at this point, the Internet has been merged and co-opted with "religion, pop culture, and corrupt corprate advertising/propaganda" - The Internet has made religion far more powerful among the masses, the Internet has given pop culture a massive database to use, and the Internet has given both corporate advertising and propaganda a very nice home here on the Internet, where you don't always have to say what is the facts of a situation, most of the time your opinion is good enough  

[Franklin]

There is a grain of truth to 'Idiocracy'. I sense there is history between you and Franklin. I don't know what it is nor do I want to know.
The world is dumbed down by religion, pop culture, and corrupt corprate advertising/propaganda.

There is no history, frosty just doesn't like what I have to say.  And I haven't found the "ignore" feature here yet.

As for Idiocracy, the point is literal evolution in favor of stupidity, not just cultural decay.  I believe that this evolutionary decay is caused by liberalism and feminism.  I explain this from a religious point of view here:

http://www.biblicjudaism.org/Human-Evolution-tp17.html

But an atheist should be able to understand it if he actually understands how evolution works.