Originally Recorded in the middle of Summer of 2020, Phillip brings up the surprisingly self-aware question about being brain-washed. Micah and K Sera are quick to point out that there might be something being too obvious.
Show Notes:
N/A
K Sera afterthoughts:
Rendezvous With Rama by Arthur C. Clarke was an admittedly good novel, despite our complaints in the episode. Yeah, it’s got some weird going on, but it’s also got some fascinating bits in there as well. I would still recommend reading it. Just the first one. You could (should) skip the sequels…
-We very quickly determined that we’re brainwashed in the first two minutes. Thanks for the short episode!
Except it wasn’t! Omg, why are we wasting so much time arguing definitions! It’s a trap!
This is where we just leave it to others: What’s the Difference Between Morals and Ethics?
Morality: n. principles concerning the distinction between right and wrong or good and bad behavior.
Ethics: n. moral principles that govern a person's behavior or the conducting of an activity.
So what exactly does this Venn diagram look like? Maybe something like this? Idk. I’ll just crawl back into my “indifferent universe” hole and leave ideas like “good” and “bad” to their perspective and situational dependencies
Phillip afterthoughts:
-This episode was originally recorded a year from the publish date (Summer of 2020, published in Summer 2021). A lot of things happened since then, but our comments about the then-president sound dated now.
-When I mention “universal morals” or “universal ethics” I really wanted to expand on that but didn’t have the right words. Now, after a year pondering it, I still don’t have the right words. I believe that in the hearts of most humans that there is a sense to want to cooperate but not to be betrayed. We want to do the right thing, but we cannot be taken advantage of. I think that this helps explain that a lack of trust (or demonizing the others) could lead to horrible acts of cruelty and violence executed by what would otherwise be normal people. Branding, messaging, marketing… it all sounds so manipulative to me, and manipulation isn’t that far removed from brainwashing.