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Culture War Roundup for the week of June 19, 2023

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But some people seem to see "technical advancements have caused support for this to be viable" and go into moral panic mode. Why?

Part of it isn't even moral, it's frustration that the majority of Team Progress is nowhere near as forthright as you are, and are swearing up and down that the giant spider thing is never going to happen.

As to the rest, it's a bit hard to explain when our moral worldviews are so different, but in a nutshell your approach to life would render it pointless to us, and it's equally weird to me that you can't grok at all where we're coming from. When you see people hiking up a mountain, do you also think "those fucking morons could have taken the cable car!"?

No. I think enjoying the hike is neat. I also think enjoying the cable car is neat. I also think enjoying the experience of being a fly and laying eggs in a carcass would be neat.

If the concern is that your way of life will be eradicated, that's understandable, but if your concern is that your children might not choose the same way of life as you if given the choice...

Well... I guess... I sortof get that? It's just... It feels like the empire of Mankind in 40k. Treating everything that isn't human like a resource or an enemy or an infection. Being proud to be human isn't bad but- does that have to mean you have to prevent others from choosing to be a fly? Do some people just find... such an inherent lack of meaning in anything else to the point of wanting to treat it like atoms that could be used to make more humans? Like all humans are just bodies for holding their culture? Or like their children are just bodies for holding their culture? Are some people really just humanclippers? christianclippers?

I can understand the premise. I have a primal, echoing understanding of the premise. I just don't want to assume something so totalizing. I don't think most conservatives feel like that. It's just... a primal terror. The thought that most people might actually be such totalizing existences that they would leave the cosmos just as empty as it is today. Merely tiled with the same thing over and over.

Are some people really just humanclippers? christianclippers?

What do you value?

Diversity and exploration. Curiosity bordering on aspirations of omniscience.

Ease of dancing through state-space. Mapping qualiaspace. Intimacy with the Other.