What are the essential qualities of humanity? How do we discern them?
How are we unique among living beings? How do we know that we are not
coming up with self-serving answers? How do you define logic? How do we know that the idea of logic is not simply humanism, and merely a creation of the mind? What is the relationship between emotion and logic? Can they actually be separated? Is logic emotionally satisfying? Should it be? Is emotion a valid justification for decision-making? Does logic leave room for conclusions that are detrimental to the self? Is there only one logical conclusion to every problem?
Is empathy a morally positive trait that indicates character or simply a humanistic self-serving socially encouraged endeavour? Can one be TOO empathetic? Can decisions made based on empathy be destructive (or at least unconstructive)? Can dealing with social problems without empathy lead to more logical and sustainable outcomes?
Is it human nature to serve one's own interests first, or can we work towards a common good at a sacrifice to our personal desires? Is selfishness and greed a fundamental characteristic of the individual, or a byproduct of a society? Is it possible to have both freedom to act (and therefore encourage personal ambitions) and maintain a selfless attitude?
Why does the conservative Right appeal to the most selfish people who don't care about the well-being of others as well as religious groups with mandates of generosity and selflessness? Is the idea of a benevolent and honest government simply an unattainable ideal or are there actually places where a strong majority of people are satisfied with their leaders? If such a government came into existence, should it be given more responsibility for other facets of society, or should the gov't whittle itself away as it achieves success?
To what extent are people's political beliefs tied to their view of human nature?
Who is more of a hero: the soldier who refuses to follow orders that are contrary to his beliefs about politics, religion, or social conscious, or the soldier who follows the same orders because he believes they essentially come from the highest level of government, and assumes that there may be more justification/information than he has access to?
Would a smaller population of humans create a higher quality of life and benefit the environment? Why is it considered inhumane to mandate stable population numbers? Is it human nature to feel entitled to having any number of children or is that mentality a product of society's values that have become ingrained in our ideologies? How long-term should we be planning for when making political decisions?
Is it acceptable practice to strive for an
unattainable ideal? Is it possible NOT to strive for an ideal? Is it
acceptable to justify one's actions by appealing to an unattainable
ideal? Is it better to strive towards the ideal of a benevolent, honest,
and attentive government OR a benevolent, generous, and aware
population? Are grass-roots movements how change I created? Is that how
change should be created? Is changing the minds of policy makers easier
than changing the ideology of the society? Essentially, is change
created through top down (marketing/propaganda/law) or bottom up
(judicial activism, subversion, protest, boycotts)?
WHO KNOWS?
NOBODY does. don't kid yourselves.
