If you remove the few interested in only money and power, people, while collectively stupid, do care about eachother. We can and will collectively do great things not based solely on money, but connection and social upbringing.

Ultimately I think people except for the select few would rather see all of us in comfort rather than just themselves. There are some experiments that show this too.

[–] presbypenguin@reddthat.com -2 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I have thought a lot recently about how every thinker in ethics and moral philosophy seems to think that only elites matter. The definition of "elite" can be narrow or wide, but fuck it seems like the most enlightened amongst us do not even realize ordinary people exist beyond in an theoretical, academic sense.

People have various degrees of bigotry and stupidity, but you are 100% right that the vast majority of people just want to help each other and live a decent life.

[–] peoplebeproblems@midwest.social 2 points 1 month ago

I disagree with the first part of your statement. Ethics and moral philosophy are why I have this worldview. The theoretical, academic and intellectual are how we improve that connection.

Historically, (like before the 1900s) only the elite COULD afford to be academic. In modern times, the rise of public education has vastly increased the quality of life amongst the non-elite.

Additionally, the modern elite are almost exclusively anti-intellectual. There is no professor in existence who would want their knowledge to be kept to themselves, there is no writer who wishes their works shared, for them to go unpublished.

The modern elite are the anti-everything that keep us together.

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