Emotional, but without substance, we cannot unite because we can't agree on what is decent, on what it means to be free, on what it means to fight for liberty, on all of the things that were mentioned It's nice to be able to say words like justice but we don't really know what they mean. We don't know what is right, we don't know what it means to live. Underneath everyone's exterior is a cold solipsism that we can never face, because to face it means to question our own existence.
You raise an important point regarding the lack of a consensus on definitions of freedom, liberty, slavery, justice, good, bad, but I don't think having a universal agreement on the definitions of these terms is necessary in order for us to actually uphold them. (But do remember that the United Nations / the International Court does have definitions for them ;) I have a big problem with those, though.) I would expect that each society has its own ideas of what these terms mean, and no other should have any right to interfere in them -- but this is problematic as well, because then 1) what if those definitions actually interfere with a certain individual or group of people's any basic rights? 1a) what ARE basic rights in the first place, and who decides this? 2) how do we measure/evaluate progress?
So, yes, these questions are important to acknowledge and think about, but I liked the video for its ability to make people think about what's going around the world, what it means to be liberated, what it means to be enslaved others. We don't have to have one understanding about these concepts, but applying them to our lives as individuals is definitely a start.
I like this speech for several others things as well, among which are the important reference made to the paradox of unity (e.g., through social networks/Internet) but disconnect; the message to soldiers, who are trained to become slaves themselves (because they are told what to think, what to do, what to believe) in order to supposedly "free" others, even though they're actually enslaving others (enslaving them here, I'd think, means defining the terms above for other people and ensuring they live up to the expectations of one certain superpower, whoever that may be at any given time); ...
... wait, I lost my train of thought. I'll get back to you on this! :o
Emotional, but without substance, we cannot unite because we can't agree on what is decent, on what it means to be free, on what it means to fight for liberty, on all of the things that were mentioned It's nice to be able to say words like justice but we don't really know what they mean. We don't know what is right, we don't know what it means to live. Underneath everyone's exterior is a cold solipsism that we can never face, because to face it means to question our own existence.
ReplyDeleteSup, POA! Thanks for the comment!
ReplyDeleteYou raise an important point regarding the lack of a consensus on definitions of freedom, liberty, slavery, justice, good, bad, but I don't think having a universal agreement on the definitions of these terms is necessary in order for us to actually uphold them. (But do remember that the United Nations / the International Court does have definitions for them ;) I have a big problem with those, though.) I would expect that each society has its own ideas of what these terms mean, and no other should have any right to interfere in them -- but this is problematic as well, because then 1) what if those definitions actually interfere with a certain individual or group of people's any basic rights? 1a) what ARE basic rights in the first place, and who decides this? 2) how do we measure/evaluate progress?
So, yes, these questions are important to acknowledge and think about, but I liked the video for its ability to make people think about what's going around the world, what it means to be liberated, what it means to be enslaved others. We don't have to have one understanding about these concepts, but applying them to our lives as individuals is definitely a start.
I like this speech for several others things as well, among which are the important reference made to the paradox of unity (e.g., through social networks/Internet) but disconnect; the message to soldiers, who are trained to become slaves themselves (because they are told what to think, what to do, what to believe) in order to supposedly "free" others, even though they're actually enslaving others (enslaving them here, I'd think, means defining the terms above for other people and ensuring they live up to the expectations of one certain superpower, whoever that may be at any given time); ...
... wait, I lost my train of thought. I'll get back to you on this! :o