Quote:
Originally Posted by rune
this is the fundamental digression, yes.
Brotherhood, society, sharing, etc, for me extends to those who are willing to cooperate. If you want to make spears, cut furs, sew seeds, fantastic. If you want to sit and twiddle your thumbs under the acacia tree, you don't get any lion steaks. You are not part of society.
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I don't think the digression is really about altruism or teamwork vs. lone wolves etc., but about whether people recognise that they are already part of an immense cooperative effort.
Did you build your own dwelling? Grow the food you ate this morning? What about your tea or coffee? Do you have a flush toliet? How does the water get from wherever it is to your toliet? Do you generate your own electricity? Fabricate your own computer chips? Build and run your own global computer network?
There's an immense social infrastructure that supports our everyday lives. The question is whether we recognise it for what it is, or pretend that we are doing things on our own.