Jealousy... what is it good for... absolutely nothing?

[WorldIsMine]

Jealousy is an animal instinct. Someone takes food you want, bop him on the head. Someone takes a woman you want, bop her on the head. Protect your genes. It's stupid, but most people are stupid enough to fall under any random feeling they get without questioning it.

 

[SaintInChicago]

It seems only to corrupt a person

 

[SaintInChicago]

Jealousy is an animal instinct. Someone takes food you want, bop him on the head. Someone takes a woman you want, bop her on the head. Protect your genes. It's stupid, but most people are stupid enough to fall under any random feeling they get without questioning it.

That's a really judgmental statement.

 

[WorldIsMine]

That's a really judgmental statement.

Yes, it is. Unlike wishy-washy intellectual cowards, I judge everything according to my understanding and my values. Judgment and discrimination are both features of a discerning and methodical person.
The only reason most problems exist is because most people are short-sighted and willfully ignorant, who protect their false self-image (from religion, politics, cultural norms etc) with arrogance and hostility. It makes no sense to be aware of the many problems within the human race and then pretend that there isn't something fundamentally screwed up with people's heads.

 

[stan1980]

Yes, it is. Unlike wishy-washy intellectual cowards, I judge everything according to my understanding and my values. Judgment and discrimination are both features of a discerning and methodical person.
The only reason most problems exist is because most people are short-sighted and willfully ignorant, who protect their false self-image (from religion, politics, cultural norms etc) with arrogance and hostility. It makes no sense to be aware of the many problems within the human race and then pretend that there isn't something fundamentally screwed up with people's heads.

Yes, arrogance is a terrible thing, isn't it? Not that I particularly disagree with anything you've said.

I can tell you're going to be a lot of fun around here. What's your view on sarcasm?

 

[WorldIsMine]

Arrogance is to be distinguished from pride. The conflation of pride and real certainty (based on knowledge) with arrogance is all part of the cult of anti-individualism and the democratic man. The person isn't supposed to recognize the fact that he may very well be superior to other people, which is a fantastic method of ignoring reality while marginalizing those who rise above the herd.

Sarcasm is fine when it's meant for humor, but most people just use it to lash out against things that make them uncomfortable but which they can not or will not rationally confront.

 

[wanderingone]

It is useful when keeping relationships together is important to society.

How does jealousy keep a relationship together?

 

[WorldIsMine]

How does jealousy keep a relationship together?

Better question: if it's not making you happy, what possible purpose could a relationship serve?

 

[stan1980]

Arrogance is to be distinguished from pride. The conflation of pride and real certainty (based on knowledge) with arrogance is all part of the cult of anti-individualism and the democratic man. The person isn't supposed to recognize the fact that he may very well be superior to other people, which is a fantastic method of ignoring reality while marginalizing those who rise above the herd.

I don't think anyone has ever said you can't recognise being superior to other people at certain things, but you should also recognise there is almost always room for improvement, not too mention you can normally learn something from everyone, sometimes from the most unlikely people. Coming across as either overbearingly superior, cocky or egotistical doesn't do too much good for anyone in my experience. There is a fine line between confidence and arrogance, and of course it is very subjective, but it is something most of us have had to work on at some point or another.

 

[WorldIsMine]

The difference between confidence and arrogance is justification. Aside from what values one holds as to 'superiority', the status of that superiority is, at least in principle, objective. All of reality is, in fact, since it exists materially and without exception adheres to logical principles.
And it is quite common to hear the mantra that 'nobody is better than anybody else'. We get it in newspapers, sociology, pseudo-philosophy, television, government schooling and everywhere else. Most people in practice do recognize differences between people - because they're not suicidal or totally irrational - but the prevailing mantra of western democracies is egalitarianism.

 

[cantata]

"Nobody is better than anybody else" is almost as irritating a mantra as "Be yourself."

 

[stan1980]

The difference between confidence and arrogance is justification.

Not in my opinion. You can be confident and have no justification for it. Likewise you can be arrogant and have plenty of justification for it.

Aside from what values one holds as to 'superiority', the status of that superiority is, at least in principle, objective. All of reality is, in fact, since it exists materially and without exception adheres to logical principles.
And it is quite common to hear the mantra that 'nobody is better than anybody else'. We get it in newspapers, sociology, pseudo-philosophy, television, government schooling and everywhere else. Most people in practice do recognize differences between people - because they're not suicidal or totally irrational - but the prevailing mantra of western democracies is egalitarianism.

Yes, whatever. Get back to me once you've found an objective way of measuring confidence... or arrogance... or a persons overall superiority.