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2 ideas
19745 | The nature of people is decided by the government and politics of their society [Rousseau] |
Full Idea: Everything is rooted in politics, and whatever might be attempted, no people would ever be other than the nature of their government made them. | |
From: Jean-Jacques Rousseau (The Confessions [1770], 9-1756) | |
A reaction: A striking anticipation of one of Marx's most important ideas - that society is not created by individual minds, because the nature of consciousness is created by society. The central idea in the subject of sociology, I think. |
22881 | Should we value environmental systems for human benefit, or for their own sake? [Hildebrand] |
Full Idea: There is a long-running debate between anthropo-centrists and eco-centrists. The latter believe that humans must protect environmental systems because they have intrinsic value; the former argue that human interests are the root of all value. | |
From: David Hildebrand (Dewey [2008], 8 'Environ') | |
A reaction: How many tigers would you kill to save a human life? Would you allow a human to die in order to save a species from extinction? It is very hard to think that the Earth has great value if humans are removed from it! |