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#26 2007-08-10 18:45:50

Ancalagon
Member
From: San Diego, California
Registered: 2006-12-07
Posts: 35
Website

Re: Intellectual Bigotry? - The chances of it effecting plans?

Tough job for the selectors.  How will they discern the applicant's wisdom?

Dude. Don't you remember your Socrates? Ask them.

"Yes" = Not wise.

"No" = Wise.


Artist for [url=www.red-oasis.com]Red Oasis[/url]

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#27 2007-10-30 07:00:28

Antius
Member
From: Cumbria, UK
Registered: 2007-05-22
Posts: 1,003

Re: Intellectual Bigotry? - The chances of it effecting plans?

Interesting post.  Dictionary definition: A bigot is a person who constantly and stubbornly holds a particular point of view, presumably long after they have lost an arguement.

In recent years, poorly educated supporters of the marxoid-left have highjacked the term (probably because none of them could be bothered to find a dictionary and look up what it actually meant) to describe people that do not subscribe to their own semi-religious beliefs on things like racial integration and homosexuality.  By throwing words like 'Bigot' and 'Racist' about, they can intimidate and demonise people that do not agree with them, openly question them or wish to debate these points.

Discrimination and some degree of prejudice (ie, prejudging people, for whatever reason) are basic parts of human nature and take place in all societies.  Always, there will be social outcasts and underdogs.  Human beings naturally tend to form social groups, the very existence of which rely upon excluding people that do not fit within the defined criteria of the group.  Those criteria may be cultural, racial, linguistic, religious, educational, or, more often than not, a combination of these things.  Discrimination and prejudice usually serve as means of protecting individual groups.  The long and short is, that these are basic parts of human nature.  My guess is that they will apply on Mars as they do on earth and will be just as important in 1000 yeras as they are today.

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#28 2007-10-31 06:25:21

clark
Member
Registered: 2001-09-20
Posts: 6,374

Re: Intellectual Bigotry? - The chances of it effecting plans?

Anyone see the fundamental problem of human nature in the context of a mars colony environment?

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#29 2007-11-03 00:25:06

Ancalagon
Member
From: San Diego, California
Registered: 2006-12-07
Posts: 35
Website

Re: Intellectual Bigotry? - The chances of it effecting plans?

Short-term view:
Only the best and the brightest will be sent to Mars. They're usually smart enough to see past meaningless differences. Sure they may end up with their little cliques in the lunchroom, but they'll (hopefully) know what they're their for. Business. And wouldn't allow squabbling to get in the way of the tough business of surviving. That's rather hard to do in a .13% oxygen environment.

Long-term view:
Supposing (far off in the future,) a self-sufficient colony could exist on Mars. It would have to function like any other society. And society requires a class system. Trekkies and Sci-fi fans can go on about their socialist utopia, but that's not what works. Yeah, a class system comes with the possibility of unrest and bigotry. As Antius said, its inevitable.


Artist for [url=www.red-oasis.com]Red Oasis[/url]

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