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TheDag  Per Aspera ad Astra  1yr ago (text post)   2764 thread views

Calling all Lurkers: Share your Dreams of Effortposting

It’s been pointed out recently that the topics discussed in the Culture War thread have gotten a bit repetitive. While I do think the Motte has a good spread on intellectual discussion, I’m always pushing for a wider range (dare I say diversity?) of viewpoints and topics in the CW thread.

I was a lurker for years, and I know that the barrier between having a thought and writing a top level comment in the CW thread can loom large indeed. Luckily I’m fresh out of inspiration, and would love to hear thoughts from folks about effortposts they want to write but haven’t gotten around to.

This of course applies to regulars who post frequently as well - share any and all topics you wish were discussed in the CW thread!

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This is a lot but basically boils down to something like: we are all driven to seek power, but are born powerless and are told not to seek it. Power is given to those who either earn it or steal it from others. Good rulers earn their power through respect and bad rulers earn their power through toxic power games. If we can't be powerful we want to be under the rule of someone we respect. It's degrading to be ruled by those we disrespect. Present day American culture is in such a state of disarray because we have little respect for institutions and each other.

This seems to strike to the heart of a lot of the issues I have with current US society. I'd love to see a more fleshed out version. Obvious parallels to Neitzsche's Will to Power and the Hobbesian struggle against nature.

I'd also argue that, going with your late capitalism post, it's degrading to have fundamental parts of meaning in our life reduced to transactions with money. Not sure why but something about the numerical aspect of transactions takes away something ineffable when it comes to relationships, social circles, etc. Having most people's primary social interaction or hierarchy be a corporate structure is destroying purpose and self-respect.

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