Saturday 4 March 2022, 1:30 to 3:30 pm
Any replies to the organizer
- thormay@yahoo.com
Venue: 44 Waymouth St, Adelaide CBD, South Australia
Talking Points
1. What are you aware of becoming
generally better for most people during your lifetime? Worse?
What was driving these changes?
2. How about your own
life experiences? On an upward curve?
3. Is life more
dangerous than it used to be? Elections are often run on slogans
like 'Law & Order'. That slogan gets instant votes. Australia's
murder rate hasn't changed much since 1980, but the murder rate
in USA has dropped by 59%. In 1980 Australia had a murder rate
of 10.9 per million, and USA 100.2 per million. By 2014
Australia had a murder rate of 10.38 per million, and USA 42.01
per million. Australia had 5% more reported rapes than USA in
2014 at 289.05 per million. The rape figures might have been
influenced by increased reporting of that crime. (
https://www.nationmaster.com/country-info/compare/Australia/United-States/Crime
)
4. The United States, with every natural resource,
enough for everyone, is almost in a state of civil war, if the
media it to be believed. Japan (for example) with few natural
resources is the world's 3rd biggest economy and people live
long, fairly harmonious lives (at least in public). What is
going on?
5. What would a balanced life mean to you?
Would it satisfy you? Balance is not sexy unless you are on a
skateboard. The daily news is not about balanced lives or
balanced countries where "nothing happens". We enjoy vicarious
disasters (happening to other people somewhere) and crave a
little excitement, but not too much.
6. Money is the
main measure of the respect you will get in Australia. Agree or
disagree? If that's true, what imbalances does it create?
7. How has life become better or worse in the last 100 years
for a) women, b) men, c) children ? What is your evidence?
8. Medical science is still in its infancy, but from a very
low base medical knowledge has increased dramatically, even in
the last 50 years. People are also living longer. However, the
general levels of obesity have exploded. Which people are
actually living a better life from a health point of view, and
which are not? Why?
9. If you could be reincarnated into
a different era (past or future) what century would you choose?
What do you know, or what can you imagine, about life in that
era?
10. In every era, religions and ideologies have been
proposed, imposed, opposed or accepted by huge numbers of
people. As a human phenomenon, what have these systems of belief
objectively achieved in improving or degrading general behaviour
and welfare?
Extra Reading
Ross Gittins
(August 10, 2022) "We’ve got more than we’ve ever had, but are
we better off?" The Age @
https://www.theage.com.au/business/the-economy/we-ve-got-more-than-we-ve-ever-had-but-are-we-better-off-20220809-p5b8e4.html
[Quote: "In Australia, output of goods and services per person –
a simple measure of prosperity – is about seven times higher
than it was 120 years ago at Federation. This means people today
have access to an array of goods and services that were
unimaginable in the past. For every 10,000 newborn babies in
1901, more than 1000 died before their first birthday; today
it’s just three. For those who survived childbirth, life
expectancy was about 60 years, compared with more than 80 today.
During their 60 years, the average Australian worked much longer
hours than today, with little paid leave. The 48-hour week
wasn’t introduced until 1916 and paid annual leave didn’t become
the norm until 1935. Workplaces were far more dangerous. Most
people died before becoming eligible for the age pension
(introduced in 1909) and the average wage bought far fewer goods
and services, with a steak costing 5 per cent of the weekly
wage. Homes were more crowded – about five people per home,
which were much smaller. We had outside toilets until the 1950s
and washing machines and dishwashers didn’t become common until
at least the 1970s. ... the cost of a double bed, mattress,
blanket and pillows has fallen from 185 hours of work in 1901 to
18 hours today. The cost of a loaf of bread has fallen from 18
minutes to four minutes. More recently, the cost of a new car
has fallen from 17 months in 1990 to five. The cost of a
smartphone has fallen from 60 hours in 2010 to 16"]. [Thor,
comment: There are a lot of useful reader comments on this
article, some of them disagreeing with the writer]
Nation
Master (2014) "Crime Stats: compare key data on Australia &
United States". Nation Master @
https://www.nationmaster.com/country-info/compare/Australia/United-States/Crime
[Quote: Australia has a murder rate of 10.38 per million (25% of
USA) Vs USA 42.01. Rape rate: in Australia: 289.05 per million
(5% more than USA). USA has 6 times more guns per head (88.8 per
100 people) than Australia (15 per 100)].
=> In 1980
Australia had a murder rate of 10.9 per million, and USA 100.2
per million.
Steven Pinker (22 May 2018) "Is the world
getting better or worse? A look at the numbers". TED Talks @
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCm9Ng0bbEQ [ 18
minutes. 1,385,700 views ] [Thor, comment: highly recommended
video] [Quote: "Was 2017 really the "worst year ever," as some
would have us believe? In his analysis of recent data on
homicide, war, poverty, pollution and more, psychologist Steven
Pinker finds that we're doing better now in every one of them
when compared with 30 years ago. But progress isn't inevitable,
and it doesn't mean everything gets better for everyone all the
time, Pinker says. Instead, progress is problem-solving, and we
should look at things like climate change and nuclear war as
problems to be solved, not apocalypses in waiting. "We will
never have a perfect world, and it would be dangerous to seek
one," he says. "But there's no limit to the betterments we can
attain if we continue to apply knowledge to enhance human
flourishing." ]
Academy of Ideas (3 August 2021) "MASS
PSYCHOSIS - How an Entire Population Becomes MENTALLY ILL".
Youtube @
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09maaUaRT4M [22
minutes. 5,843,520 views]
Thor May (2015) "The Unexpected
Power of Stupidity." The Passionate Skeptic website @
http://thormay.net/unwiseideas/stupidity.htm [Quote:
"Stupidity turns out to be complicated. Stupidity in its many
guises does more damage on a daily basis than generations of
clever ideas have ever been able to cope with. Human stupidity
ranges all the way from planetary destruction to self mutilation
by vengeful individuals cutting off their own nose to spite
their face. Given the scale of stupidity’s ravages, it is a
matter of wonder that it attracts so little systematic public
research under its own name."]
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