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Politics : Sharks in the Septic Tank -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Neocon who wrote (69180)	12/3/2002 11:23:02 AM
From: The Philosopher	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 82486

Okay. New York City is to Americans one of the most important cities in contemporary society. Granted. If it were obliterated, your life and my life would be seriously affected, yours probably more than mine because of proximity and the interconnectedness of New York and Washington, but mine also for a variety of reasons, not least that many of the books I enjoy reading depend on people in New York for their existence. But to a bushman in the Kalihari, New York might as well not exist. It is hard to see how his world would change much if New York were suddenly obliterated. So to him, it is far less important than the next village over. So to some people New York is important, and to other people it is not. Indeed, to the leadership in Iraq the destruction of New York would probably be a blessing, as long as they weren't blamed, because it would certainly distract our attention from war on Iraq. So to them, it's important, but in a whole different sense.

To: Neocon who wrote (69180)	12/3/2002 11:25:43 AM
From: The Philosopher	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 82486

Judgments about importance might depend upon context in some sense, but they are not subjective. If they depend on context, then they necessarily, almost by definition, are subjective.

To: Neocon who wrote (69180)	12/3/2002 1:36:50 PM
From: epicure	Read Replies (3) \| Respond to of 82486

It's importance is not objective. New York might not be important at all to an Ethiopian dirt farmer. If New York were raised to the ground, it would probably have no effect on said farmer. So, imo, you are incorrect. New York is only important to people who consider business, finance, literature and other things important. If you are a dirt farmer in some rural backwater living in the fashion of the middle ages, New York would not be important at all. And are we only considering "important" in terms of what people think? For most animals New York is of no matter at all- I'm sure rats and seagulls find it important, and flies and cockroaches, and mosquitoes, but for much of the world's wildlife NY is of no importance at all.