I'm a philistine, so although having heard of Rousseau, had no idea what he was about. He said people are innately good. Looks like innately selfish to me and he an excellent example, including with his own children: <From 1743 to 1744, he was secretary to the French ambassador in Venice, whose republican government Rousseau would refer to often in his later political work. After this, he returned to Paris, where he befriended and lived with Thérèse Levasseur, a semi-literate seamstress who, according to Rousseau, bore him five children, though this number may not be accurate. All the children were deposited at a foundling hospital soon after birth and would most likely have perished soon afterwards, as the mortality rate for such children was very high. Rousseau's abandonment of his children became a source of embarrassment once he became known as a theorist of education and child-rearing, and was used by enemies including Voltaire to attack him. In his defense, Rousseau explained that he would have been a poor father, and, implausibly, that the children would have a better life at the foundling home. >
"Place stink, time to move" is good for the environment. And people. Because the seeds they have eaten will grow and the stinky stuff is excellent nutrition for plants.
It is very nice being a hunter gatherer. Until it rains. Or blows. Or gets ice age. Or get sick. Or want to phone friend in other valley. That's why fishing is so popular. And hunting.
Innately selfish - watch children. But learn to be good, synergistic, mutual, cooperative, symbiotic, if conditions allow.
edit.... I see he had a complex opinion of innate goodness and it is reasonable enough [as much as I've read]. But I like society, even though it's maddening, frustrating and very bad for lots of people who can't cope with it.
Watch Al Gore and other ignorant and hypocritical environmentalists selfishly do the opposite of what they claim is good, albeit sometimes inadvertently.
I say inadvertently because, for example, they think "recycling is good", so we have traffic jams, injuries, rubbish strewn around, broken glass [which is very annoying as lots of NZers like bare feet], pollution from the cars stuck behind the swarms of collection vehicles. Waste from the uneconomic process which leads to pollution = the young guys doing the work own cars and drive them, but they are not achieving any economic value in their work life, therefore, pollution is increased by doing recycling in an ignorant way.
It should all be taken to a nice, clean, safe, economic sorting warehouse, where ALL of the stuff could be recycled, instead of just some.
Mqurice |
