Meritocracy of Serving Capital
Meritocracy of Serving Capital
A bit of an oldie, but still pertinent.
I didn't know anyone thought our civilization was organized around science?
I never heard of that.
Fewer and fewer think it is "organized".
Right? Advances were made because it made someone money and/or gave them power. There were and probably plenty of formulae or discoveries that languish in dusty storage that nobody will care about unless they’re suddenly found to have an application that grants someone money or power. These giant atom smashers are hard to funs because, again, there’s no money in it. Tokamak and other fusion reactors have a hope of profit, so they get funding. Basic sciences all struggle for funding.
and this is the problem. where would our society be if we had funded solutions to human suffering instead of mechanisms to make a few rich? we have to take the steering wheel back from the owners.
Getting past the Great Filter seems to require a species that is hive minded and with generational memory. Both that are lacking for us outside of that invention of communication that can be overwhelmed by self interest.
Capital is a red herring. The problem is egoism and closely related tribalism. Those will never be solved as long as life exists.
For example, hippies who claim to be anti-capitalist will ignore those parts of science they don't like e.g modern medicine, but will use biology, chemistry, physics, social studies and many other studies example to underpin their reasoning.
This is why in the immediate wake of great disasters—a flood, a blackout, a revolution or economic collapse—people tend to behave the same way, reverting to a kind of rough-and-ready communism. Hierarchies, markets and the like become luxuries that no one can really afford them. Anyone who has lived through such a moment can speak to the way strangers become sisters and brothers, and human society itself seems to be reborn. We are not just talking about cooperation.
Communism is the foundation of all human sociability. It makes society possible. On the Moral Grounds of Economic Relations
Capital isn't a Red Herring, though, it's the basis of Capitalist production and is what drives further and further exploitation, especially along international and class-based lines. "Egoism* and "tribalism" are just the cultural aspects of such a mode of production being expressed in such a manner.
Plus, most people are only interested in 'science' if it's big, showy or has interesting results. They aren't interested in the day to day monotony of science, null results etc even though that is equally as interesting ioo.
Mostly people are interested in what might benefit their lives. Not the thousands of hours it took to get there.
Mostly people are interested in what might benefit their lives. Not the thousands of hours it took to get there.
Nor in anything that might benefit the lives of people they see themselves completely detached from or even superior to, even if in reality they are either much more alike than they ever would or could admit, and or could end up in the other person's shoes in a heartbeat.
I don’t think so. Most people believe and trust that science going on, don’t they ?
The far greater sin is not being able to get funding for unsexy projects .
I'm not sure what you're arguing here. Would you mind explaining more?
True.
I thought most science was organized around murdering people. War efforts and such.
Jason Hickle, not to be confused with Jackson Hinkle, the far-right "MAGA Communist."
"Jackson" but I thought the same.
Oof, thanks for the correction! But yea I mix em up all the time lmao
JESUS CHRIST THIS THREAD GOT BURIED FAST. I usually just lurk around here but when I saw this, I had to create an account to be able to post. THIS. This is the thread we need to be talking about. Science.
OUR. ONLY. FUCKING. HOPE. IS SCIENCE.
Letting money outweigh knowledge was where we went wrong, and we can get back there if we just trust in science tempered by the humanities. Please keep talking about this. Please don't let this thread slide off the first page. This should be our rallying cry.
Damn you Jason for spitting facts.