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Originally Posted by Bodhisattva
i would go so far as to suggest genes determine the culture we create, returning to the necessity of the dieing off of much of the gene pool for the world you invision to manifest, culture grows independently, but what direction it grows in and what shape it takes isnt the result of 'ignorance' as much as preference.... genetic?
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i understand culture -- like writing, art, music, myths, and fairy tales -- to be a storehouse of extra-genetic information. it lives and breathes, transforming before our very eyes. if it were limited by our genes, it would develop slowly like mutations in our genetic material do. no, our behavior is not determined by genetics. not absolultely, anyway. imo we've overstepped that boundary with what i refer to as "society."
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bodhisattva
im confident of atleast this much.. in a world where everyone embraces everyone.. i am not a victim of my environment, i would not be welcome, because i am incapable of being that free of preferences, and i insist that is not a cultural brainwashing, but a genetic advantage, in precisely the area of adaptability, being 'open to much' makes you open to stupidity and a single cult leader would love a world filled with the innumerable neural connections present in children
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interesting. i would argue that in order not to be victimized by your environment, you MUST have the ability to be free of preferences. being "open to much" means "open to the right solution" as much as it means "open to stupidity." but remaining steadfast in your preferences, you could easily miss a very tangible solution which your preferences simply didn't allow for and was therefor never considered. for example, imagine if our ancestors in the ice age had a preference against dressing in the skins of dead animals. if you're open to doing so you
may also be open to. . . swimming in a frozen lake. but if your goal is not to die the choice is obvious. being open to choosing is no detriment.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bodhisattva
childrens minds are like a garden with many small plants growing, its impossible to preserve them all, they NECESSARILY change into the more adult format of a few strong plants, thats evolution, survival of the fittest, whatever that may mean
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yeah man, you're right. children's minds are fertile ground where interests take root and grow like beautiful plants in a garden. and not only are some not preserved in our society, most are never given the chance to fully develop or blossom. you might say they're being victimized by their environment. . . an environment WE, as the caretaker generation, maintain and pass on to them. i believe cultivating an environment where they can develop in peace would be a fantastic jump start for a better human experience, aka evolution.
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Originally Posted by Bodhisattva
culture is far too soft a force to change this, culture is onyl strong after it developes for a while but a 'people' are what develop it can independently take the shape of some progress or whatever, evolutionarily, this format of the many seeds a few of which succeed is precisely the format that adaptability has taken, adaptability is unfulfilled without the weeding out, a state of extremely rapid change would be necessarily to preserve such fluid amiability, over time a situation would situate itself.. without constant flux
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sorry man i just don't buy it. culture is determined by people and people make choices and they can make choices as quickly as they like. personally, i see evidence that we are being pressured to make the kind of choices that will bring about conditions for something like what i'm describing here. we're just being forced to think more carefully and, dare i say, be more open to new considerations and possibilities. we're as adaptable as we decide to be.