[kj] First amongt equals

[Phillipps Marc]

>I dont think their societies  ever took a collective decision not to
>progress,they just did nt and I know the reason why.

By the same token the "developed" world never woke up one morning and
thought "I know, nuclear fission!" . . 

Society is advanced by need, if you're happy with your life and the way
things are maybe a slightly different way of catching fish is all the
advance you will see during your lifetime. This doesn't mean the society is
in anyway backward though, it's just a different set of values. 

>But one yard-stick could be that "developed" people have a much longer
>life-span then the "less-developed"

This is maybe not a good example though, it seems pretty clear that the only
way "developed" society maintains its longevity is by exploiting the "less
developed" 

Also, the increased age span of Western society is bringing its own problems
in terms of the growing drain on the finances due to the life span of the
retired (remember 65 was an arbitrary figure for retirement based purely on
the fact that most people at the time would not exceed 5 years past their
retirement age)

>From an evolutionary point of view increased longevity does not advance
society, it probably hinders it in truth.




> -----Original Message-----
> From:	peter.west410 [SMTP:peter.west410 at ntlworld.com]
> Sent:	Monday, April 25, 2005 3:16 PM
> To:	A list about all things Killing Joke (the band!)
> Subject:	Re: [kj] First amongt equals
> 
> I dont think their societies  ever took a collective decision not to
> progress,they just did nt and I know the reason why.
> 
> "Who decides what is advanced and what is the best way to live?"
> 
> If you know the meaning of the word "Advanced"(Apologies for sounding
> abrupt,I dont mean it personally) then its easy to say .But on the matter
> of
> which is the best way to live,thats a good point and i suppose its up to
> the
> individual person to make that decision.
>     But one yard-stick could be that "developed" people have a much longer
> life-span then the "less-developed"
> 
>          PW
> 
> 
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Phillipps Marc" <Marc.Phillipps at enfield.nhs.uk>
> To: "'A list about all things Killing Joke (the band!)'"
> <gathering at misera.net>; "Alex Smith" <vassifer at earthlink.net>
> Sent: Monday, April 25, 2005 2:58 PM
> Subject: RE: [kj] First amongt equals
> 
> 
> > >A thousand years ago ,living in mud huts was common the world
> > >over,some people have progressed out of them and some havent.
> > >Call it what you like,But you cant disagree with the facts.
> >
> > The fact that some societies have decided that living in mud huts (or
> caves
> > etc) isn't what they want does not necessarily denote progression,
> rather
> it
> > shows a different set of priorities . . .
> >
> > To suggest that a society in Africa (or wherever) is less advanced
> because
> > they haven't decided to live by your ideals smacks of the Victorian
> > missionary ethos ("they're not Christian and therefore need pulling into
> the
> > 19th century whether they want it or not")
> >
> > Who decides what is advanced and what is the best way to live?
> >
> >
> 
> 
> 
> 
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