The central theme of our current project is "Why am I here?" And suddenly I thought, imagine that you get the answer: "You are here, simply because you are here and for the rest figure it out for yourself. Good luck!"
What guidelines do we have to give meaning to our lives? It is a bit like the world in which Thomas Hobbes (1588 - 1679) thought to live.
Homo homini lupus, man is a wolf to man, remains one of the most well-known and often quoted dictums from his political theory.
However, that we are inclined to help people in need seems self-evident, but that has not always been the case. People only help others if they see them as equal fellow human beings.
And this vision has only emerged relatively recently. For centuries, providing help was mainly limited to small communities where mutual ties and reciprocity played a self-evident role.
Yet there have always been people who have selflessly supported others in difficult circumstances, regardless of their origins. According to some, helping others is even the key to all meaning.
In some circles, taxation, redistribution of wealth, and the like are immediately labeled as socialism or even worse as communism. For some reason, these people find this very wrong.
Yet we could refer to this form of meaning as social justice: it is just that the more blessed help the less blessed.
And likewise, it is just that the more wealthy support the less wealthy, not by distributing all resources,
but by redistributing some of their own resources, such as through taxation, so that everyone can provide for the basic necessities of life.
Of course, the sting lies in the concept of justice. Who determines what is just? As social beings, the idea that every person has a right to live is hard-wired into us.
Now we have come up with the trick of dehumanizing some of our fellow human beings, which allows us to deny them the right to live.
For this, see a politician who calls immigrants animals, or Nazi propaganda, which portrayed Jews as rats, or an enemy in a war, who is referred to as a beast, monster, etc.
Yet this specific notion of distributive justice forms the basis for every welfare state. The notion is much older than is often thought.? We already find an elaboration of distributive justice in Aristotle's "Politeia" in the fourth century BC.
Selfless help for fellow human beings can also be found in many religions and philosophies. In Christianity, helping others and forgoing wealth was one of the greatest virtues, even a condition for entering the kingdom of heaven.
In Hinduism, Judaism, and Islam, compassion, mercy, and charity are also considered to be the highest virtues.
The same applies to religions that do not have a god, such as Buddhism, Taoism, and Confucianism.
This form of selflessness and justice was claimed by religions for a long time, but from the eighteenth century onwards scientists and philosophers began to think systematically about this issue as well.
The reason was the enormous societal gap at that time between rich and poor. What do you do with a hungry and uneducated mass of people in society? Hunger was already one of the most important causes of popular uprisings in ancient Rome.
Someone who analyzed this very sharply was Karl Marx. Partly because of his insights, the fight against poverty, illiteracy, and health care became a meaningful general interest, although not everywhere in the world.
Nevertheless, and this is again evident these days, helping others has become an important form of meaning of life.
Thank you for your attention again....
Main Sources:
MacMillan The Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 2nd edition
TABLE OF CONTENT -----------------------------------------------------------------
1 - 100 Philosophers 9 May 2009 Start of
2 - 25+ Women Philosophers 10 May 2009 this blog
3 - 25 Adventures in Thinking 10 May 2009
4 - Modern Theories of Ethics 29 Oct 2009
5 - The Ideal State 24 Febr 2010 / 234
6 - The Mystery of the Brain 3 Sept 2010 / 266
7 - The Utopia of the Free Market 16 Febr 2012 / 383
8. - The Aftermath of Neo-liberalism 5 Sept 2012 / 413
9. - The Art Not to Be an Egoist 6 Nov 2012 / 426
10 - Non-Western Philosophy 29 May 2013 / 477
11 - Why Science is Right 2 Sept 2014 / 534
12 - A Philosopher looks at Atheism 1 Jan 2015 / 557
13 - EVIL, a philosophical investigation 17 Apr 2015 / 580
14 - Existentialism and Free Will 2 Sept 2015 / 586
15 - Spinoza 2 Sept 2016 / 615
16 - The Meaning of Life 13 Febr 2017 / 637
17 - In Search of my Self 6 Sept 2017 / 670
18 - The 20th Century Revisited 3 Apr 2018 / 706
19 - The Pessimist 11 Jan 2020 / 819
20 - The Optimist 9 Febr 2020 / 824
21 - Awakening from a Neoliberal Dream 8 Oct 2020 / 872
22 - A World Full of Patterns 1 Apr 2021 / 912
23 - The Concept of Freedom 8 Jan 2022 / 965
24 - Materialism 7 Sept 2022 / 1011
25 - Historical Materialism 5 Oct 2023 / 1088
26 - The Bonobo and the Atheist 9 Jan 2024 / 1102
27 - Artificial Intelligence 9 Feb 2024 / 1108
28 - Why Am I Here 6 Sept 2024 / 1139
[13:17] .: Beertje :. (beertje.beaumont): Thank you Herman
[13:18] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): ㋡
[13:18] Max Chatnoir: Thank you, Herman.
[13:18] herman Bergson: What I am thinking of just now....people that demonstrate against all kinds of injustice in the world....you could call that too a way of helping others
[13:18] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): yes
[13:19] Sookie Hart (sookicatalina): Right, they are doing it in order to make the world more equitable for more people
[13:19] herman Bergson: yes
[13:19] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): good thing
[13:19] herman Bergson: But here you run into the same problem.....
[13:19] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): very much needed
[13:20] herman Bergson: lol...like Bergie
[13:20] .: Beertje :. (beertje.beaumont): don't say r....
[13:20] bergfrau Apfelbaum: oh lol
[13:20] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): ㋡
[13:20] herman Bergson: I am sorry :-)
[13:20] .: Beertje :. (beertje.beaumont): run
[13:20] bergfrau Apfelbaum: helping others makes us happy. i think many people feel this way. of course, there are also egoists who only think about themselves
[13:21] herman Bergson: Yes, the ability to help others presupposes compassion
[13:21] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): aaa
[13:21] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): as u said before, most people are ok
[13:21] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): but there are some... for sure
[13:21] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): well
[13:22] herman Bergson: I can't stop thinking of the slogan "small government'
[13:22] herman Bergson: A good goverment is THE institution to help nationwide
[13:23] herman Bergson: It is the way to achieve redistribution of resources
[13:23] bergfrau Apfelbaum: that would be desirable
[13:24] herman Bergson: In the 19th century in England a lot depended on pure charity by the rich
[13:24] .: Beertje :. (beertje.beaumont): isn't it a way too say..look at us, we are the good guys?
[13:24] herman Bergson: That is what keeps me busy Beertje....
[13:25] bergfrau Apfelbaum: if they REALLY help, they are the good guys, no?
[13:25] herman Bergson: This 1 to 10% of the wealthiest people in the world...the millionaires and billionairs....what is their frame of mind....
[13:25] herman Bergson: Just think of Murdoch or Elon Musk....
[13:25] bergfrau Apfelbaum: good does not necessarily mean better than the rest
[13:26] Max Chatnoir: It seems to me that helping through governmental agencies is the most efficient way to reach the most people.
[13:26] herman Bergson: But they control this world with their money
[13:26] herman Bergson: Oh yes I agree, Max
[13:26] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): ah
[13:26] herman Bergson: Education,, healthcare, social welfare
[13:26] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): yes
[13:26] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): important all of these work properly
[13:27] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): for everyone
[13:27] herman Bergson: what worries me all the time is those happy wealthy few....and the way thay manipulate our world....
[13:28] herman Bergson: They simply "buy" seats in the House or Senate in the US for instance
[13:28] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): hmmok
[13:29] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): sadly the rich often have egos just wanting more and more for themselves
[13:29] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): + power
[13:29] Max Chatnoir: Yes, that doesn't seem right. At least it should be public.
[13:30] herman Bergson: But on a smaller scale in our own life we can help people and see it is a meaning of life to do so
[13:30] Max Chatnoir: If you want to concentrate your contributions around a single individual or project, you should have a justify it.
[13:30] Max Chatnoir: have to justify it.
[13:31] bergfrau Apfelbaum: the rich should be able to be ignored. then they sit on their mountains of gold ...
[13:32] herman Bergson: To check if life becomes more meaningful, maybe you should keep a close eye on the willingnerss to help people in general in society
[13:33] herman Bergson: And from that perspective.....all these right wing any immigrants, etc developments....
[13:33] bergfrau Apfelbaum: or actively help
[13:34] herman Bergson: Like a Dutch rightwing politician used to say...full is full...in other words, The Netherlands for the Dutch only....close the borders
[13:35] herman Bergson: I am thinking...as Bejiita mentioned...this growing egoism ....IS it showing that people are scared to loose their position in society?
[13:35] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): wel something it is
[13:36] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): or the usual MINE ONLY MINE!
[13:36] herman Bergson: In other owrds...is rightwing politics motivated by fear...self-centered fear
[13:36] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): the ones who have want to have even more and more
[13:36] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): status
[13:36] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): power
[13:36] Sookie Hart (sookicatalina): Fear of losing power, losing control.
[13:36] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): yes
[13:37] Sookie Hart (sookicatalina): Losing resources
[13:37] herman Bergson: If you listen to Trump...he preached hell and doom for his country if he is not elected....he plays on fear
[13:37] herman Bergson: yes Sooki
[13:37] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): true
[13:38] .: Beertje :. (beertje.beaumont): he's afraid that he has to go to jail
[13:38] herman Bergson: We all know :-)
[13:38] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): well that's where he belongs!
[13:38] Sookie Hart (sookicatalina): That kind of fear-mongering relies on dehumanizing the "others"...they are criminals, they are freeloaders, etc.
[13:39] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): ah
[13:39] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): true
[13:39] herman Bergson: indeed Sooki
[13:39] Max Chatnoir: They don't deserve to be helped, etc.
[13:40] herman Bergson: That's it Max...
[13:41] herman Bergson: Well, the future will show us what will prevail.....the self-centered egoism or the distributive justice and opportunities for all...
[13:41] herman Bergson: Your homework is to keep an eye oppen for this development :-)
[13:42] herman Bergson: So...thank you all again..
[13:42] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): ㋡
[13:42] herman Bergson: Class dismissed..
[13:43] .: Beertje :. (beertje.beaumont): Thank you Herman
[13:43] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): YAY! (yay!)
[13:43] herman Bergson: You can tell your friends that class is over, Sooki, and that you got an A+ :-)
[13:43] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): nice again
[13:43] Max Chatnoir: yay
[13:43] Particle Physicist Bejiita (bejiita.imako): ㋡
[13:43] Sookie Hart (sookicatalina): 😆
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