amorphous_constellation
Well-Known Member
If the ads you see are mostly are mostly about lowering taxes, or establishing retirement benefits, or even reproductive rights, and housing costs.. then the fact of the matter is, is that all of these issues address proximal 'present discomfort,' and nowhere is the vast extent of the past or future really addressed, in regard to the outcomes of these issues, and any supposedly grander vision of human possibility is not put forward. Even the immigration issue, although it is slightly different in kind, does not seem to be analyzed through the vast lenses of past and future, as my sense of it is that they have trouble even analyzing it from the possibility that it is due to economic or political instability
I am not saying that we actually should have presidential candidates and higher officials who opt to present human possibility in a grander way, because quite frankly we can't handle it. But if the two opposing parties were arguing about whether we should colonize the moon or mars, it necessarily would require the resolution of every far more proximal issue. Things like taxes, or housing costs, are extremely low forward visioned proximal costs, and people have been thinking about these things since civilization started.
trying to think of what else to say.. so I'll go over this with a little more detail. Think about taxes. Now, there is a proximal discomfort in taxes. But arguably, this discomfort is only felt, because you don't see the result. You don't see the kind of infrastructure or progress you want to see. If you did, then might want to pay higher taxes. You may not care then, about the proximal discomfort. But for this to happen, everyone would have to a.) agree on spending, and b.) actually see the tangible result. Then they would likely want higher taxes, and not care about the proximal problem. It is a phenomenological issue. You either don't sense what the spending does, because you fail to see it, or the spending is not going to what you want it to
Ok, now how about reproductive rights.. How often do politicians talk about it? Very often. Many people in the public probably think about it frequently well. It is a top issue. Ok, now often do you hear politicians talk about reproduction? Never - they never talk about reproduction, because that is not a proximal issue. They would not know how to talk about it, and neither would the public. I have read philosophy and history books, and I don't know what to make of it. It affects everything, seemingly, and has seldom been in anyone's command. Perhaps it should not be, because it probably creates a near instantaneous possibly for an abuse of power. Then again, endless growth seems impossible. And people want humanity to endlessly grow, but are miserable and confused when external natural planetary limits seem to stop them
Housing has obviously been an issue forever as well, but we deal with it, again, in mostly a proximal, present-based sense. How much housing there should be can never be projected by analysis, but building as much of it possible is always put forward, as the solution to present-based discomfort. I don't necessarily blame it for being like that, as being unhoused can obviously be extremely uncomfortable. However, endless growth seems like it cannot be possible. We simply cannot build houses forever here. Immigration ties into this as well - essentially these are people that essentially seek housing, unless they are true nomads - and hardly anyone in modern times is a true nomad.
I am not saying that we actually should have presidential candidates and higher officials who opt to present human possibility in a grander way, because quite frankly we can't handle it. But if the two opposing parties were arguing about whether we should colonize the moon or mars, it necessarily would require the resolution of every far more proximal issue. Things like taxes, or housing costs, are extremely low forward visioned proximal costs, and people have been thinking about these things since civilization started.
trying to think of what else to say.. so I'll go over this with a little more detail. Think about taxes. Now, there is a proximal discomfort in taxes. But arguably, this discomfort is only felt, because you don't see the result. You don't see the kind of infrastructure or progress you want to see. If you did, then might want to pay higher taxes. You may not care then, about the proximal discomfort. But for this to happen, everyone would have to a.) agree on spending, and b.) actually see the tangible result. Then they would likely want higher taxes, and not care about the proximal problem. It is a phenomenological issue. You either don't sense what the spending does, because you fail to see it, or the spending is not going to what you want it to
Ok, now how about reproductive rights.. How often do politicians talk about it? Very often. Many people in the public probably think about it frequently well. It is a top issue. Ok, now often do you hear politicians talk about reproduction? Never - they never talk about reproduction, because that is not a proximal issue. They would not know how to talk about it, and neither would the public. I have read philosophy and history books, and I don't know what to make of it. It affects everything, seemingly, and has seldom been in anyone's command. Perhaps it should not be, because it probably creates a near instantaneous possibly for an abuse of power. Then again, endless growth seems impossible. And people want humanity to endlessly grow, but are miserable and confused when external natural planetary limits seem to stop them
Housing has obviously been an issue forever as well, but we deal with it, again, in mostly a proximal, present-based sense. How much housing there should be can never be projected by analysis, but building as much of it possible is always put forward, as the solution to present-based discomfort. I don't necessarily blame it for being like that, as being unhoused can obviously be extremely uncomfortable. However, endless growth seems like it cannot be possible. We simply cannot build houses forever here. Immigration ties into this as well - essentially these are people that essentially seek housing, unless they are true nomads - and hardly anyone in modern times is a true nomad.
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