Combining Texts

All the ideas for 'fragments/reports', 'Draft Statement of Human Obligations' and 'On Human Nature'

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25 ideas

7. Existence / C. Structure of Existence / 3. Levels of Reality
5311 If observation goes up a level, we expect the laws of the lower level to remain in force [Wilson,EO]
8. Modes of Existence / D. Universals / 5. Universals as Concepts
5312 A child first sees objects as distinct, and later as members of groups [Wilson,EO]
11. Knowledge Aims / A. Knowledge / 4. Belief / a. Beliefs
5309 Beliefs are really enabling mechanisms for survival [Wilson,EO]
22. Metaethics / A. Ethics Foundations / 1. Nature of Ethics / d. Ethical theory
5310 Philosophers study the consequences of ethics instead of its origins [Wilson,EO]
22. Metaethics / A. Ethics Foundations / 2. Source of Ethics / a. Idealistic ethics
23814 Every human yearns for an unattainable transcendent good [Weil]
22. Metaethics / A. Ethics Foundations / 2. Source of Ethics / e. Human nature
23824 Where human needs are satisfied we find happiness, friendship and beauty [Weil]
5313 The rules of human decision-making converge and overlap in a 'human nature' [Wilson,EO]
22. Metaethics / B. Value / 2. Values / f. Altruism
5316 We undermine altruism by rewarding it, but we reward it to encourage it [Wilson,EO]
5318 Pure hard-core altruism based on kin selection is the enemy of civilisation [Wilson,EO]
23. Ethics / B. Contract Ethics / 1. Contractarianism
5317 The actor is most convincing who believes that his performance is real [Wilson,EO]
23. Ethics / C. Virtue Theory / 3. Virtues / h. Respect
23815 We cannot equally respect what is unequal, so equal respect needs a shared ground [Weil]
23. Ethics / F. Existentialism / 4. Boredom
23823 Life needs risks to avoid sickly boredom [Weil]
24. Political Theory / B. Nature of a State / 4. Citizenship
23822 We all need to partipate in public tasks, and take some initiative [Weil]
24. Political Theory / D. Ideologies / 3. Conservatism
23817 We need both equality (to attend to human needs) and hierarchy (as a scale of responsibilities) [Weil]
25. Social Practice / A. Freedoms / 3. Free speech
23819 Deliberate public lying should be punished [Weil]
25. Social Practice / A. Freedoms / 6. Political freedom
23818 We have liberty in the space between nature and accepted authority [Weil]
25. Social Practice / C. Rights / 4. Property rights
23820 People need personal and collective property, and a social class lacking property is shameful [Weil]
25. Social Practice / D. Justice / 3. Punishment / d. Reform of offenders
23821 Crime should be punished, to bring the perpetrator freely back to morality [Weil]
25. Social Practice / E. Policies / 5. Education / b. Education principles
13304 Learned men gain more in one day than others do in a lifetime [Posidonius]
26. Natural Theory / A. Speculations on Nature / 2. Natural Purpose / c. Purpose denied
5308 The only human purpose is that created by our genetic history [Wilson,EO]
27. Natural Reality / D. Time / 1. Nature of Time / d. Time as measure
20820 Time is an interval of motion, or the measure of speed [Posidonius, by Stobaeus]
27. Natural Reality / G. Biology / 3. Evolution
5314 Cultural evolution is Lamarckian and fast, biological evolution is Darwinian and slow [Wilson,EO]
5315 Over 99 percent of human evolution has been in the hunter-gatherer phase [Wilson,EO]
28. God / A. Divine Nature / 6. Divine Morality / c. God is the good
23816 Attention to a transcendent reality motivates a duty to foster the good of humanity [Weil]
29. Religion / D. Religious Issues / 1. Religious Commitment / a. Religious Belief
5320 It is estimated that mankind has produced 100,000 religions [Wilson,EO]