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What do you think human nature is?
What political philosophy most closely matches it?
Do you think people in general are capable of change or will people always be what they are from generation to generation? (This is not about individuals changing, but society in general).
It is difficult to articulate my thoughts on what you posted because now we're not just talking about politics - rather, we're talking about meta-politics.
You see, I don't think any one political philosophy is accurately representative of human nature. Like you said, different political philosophies focus on different values for different people. Some people need the highly structured order of fascism. Some people need the freedoms of libertarianism.
I believe human nature at the core is selfish and evil.
I do believe people are capable of change, but typically only if it benefits them.
I believe human nature at the core is selfish and evil.
I do believe people are capable of change, but typically only if it benefits them.
Human nature is all about needs and wants. Selfishness is our natural state. Fortunately we can reason and be better than our base instincts.
Well, you have to remember that selfishness is a defense mechanism. All people want food, shelter, and safety for themselves. That's instinctual and hard-coded into our being. So to truly look out for another's interests is quite difficult for us.
Sure, we can try to look out for another's interests. But it's difficult because of our individuality. All we can do is extrapolate what another person's interests are and attempt to do so, but it's not perfect.
It also doesn't help that we can't know for certain that another person is looking out for your individual interests either. While you may deal fairly with someone else, it is unknown if they will do the same to you, concerning which areas, and to what degree.
So, considering all those factors, I can understand why people are naturally selfish - it's because others are naturally selfish too.
So, I'm taking it mega, that this conversation spread from our previous one?
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