Self-defeating businesses

Interesting aren’t they? Businesses whose business it is (or should be) to put themselves out of business. Drugs companies, rehab centres and the like…

Lady Sumo

There’s a programme on Channel 4 right now called “Strictly Lady Sumo”. The contest is occurring in Japan, but I am yet to see a Japanese contestant. The British team, however, are excelling. The only trouble is the title of the programme is an oxymoron.

Advertising Lie

Here’s a great one:

“You’ve got a friend” - AA

Um.. let’s be clear. The AA are not your friend. Friends don’t charge you money for their help!

This is an example of one of those adverts (there are many) which just shows how people will continue to use a service despite its brainless advertising, through either not thinking or because there is insufficient competition in the marketplace.

Visit to a cemetary

Now the title of this article may seem rather morbid. I don’t regularly visit cemetaries (and actually favour cremation over burial), however I am about to propose that we all do. I’ve been meaning to write about this for some time - in fact ever since this great site came out.

Soon after seeing it, I found myself cycling past Streatham Cemetary. It is enormous, and it’s quite a moving place. I cycled into it and considered all the lives that have been lived, and the love had and the love lost, as I read the tombstones. A visit to a cemetary puts minor disputes into perspective, it reminds us of life’s transience, it reminds us of the important things in life, and it reminds that one day the end will come for us, and at that moment we will want to look back and feel proud of the legacy we leave. It reminds us to treat other people well.

Philosophy Meetup

Today I attended a Philosophy meetup here in London, which was interesting. Here are some of the questions I’ll be proposing at future events:

• Is empirical evidence important when making metaphysical claims?
• Who is of more value to society - the philosopher of mind or the postman?
• Is democracy a good thing?
• Is this a question?
• Is it important (or even possible) to maintain a fully consistent system of values and beliefs?
• Are all ethical discussions a waste of time - literally academic - because when faced with actual situations we invariably act on gut feelings, usually in our own short term interests?

Order from Chaos

The natural state of affairs is one of disorder and chaos. Nature has its own equilibirum, but we impose our own order on our world for human comfort, and we impose order on our own thoughts and morality to better our standard of living. It takes a lot more more effort for things to to go right, than for things to go wrong. Reflect that there only needs to be one thing out of place for things to go wrong; everything needs to be in place for things to go right.

In this process it is easy for human beings to make mistakes, and many of us do. Under pressure from other misguided, unscrupulous people, we often make decisions which are not in fact in our own interests. The important thing is that we are open minded and learn from such mistakes and evolve them out of our lives. Happy living involves trying to impose order on chaos, and learning what is best for us - identifying values which will make us happy, maximising the good and minimising the bad. The trouble is, the ability to do this properly is, for many people, a skill which has to be learnt, and some never learn it.

Good quotation

“The Office” is a programme of savage satire, but Ricky Gervais shows some humanity at the end… and here’s a very good quote from him:

“In a nutshell, my philosophy is this: There is no God so be nice to people.”

Celebrity Big Brother

This Celebrity Big Brother programme on Channel 4 here in the UK is despicable on so many levels it’s hard to know where to begin. I have not watched it for many series but, given current debate, I have just had a look at a programme.

It is manipulative and takes advantage of the thick and stupid (not only the “housemates” but also the regular viewers), delighting in causing unnatural and incendiary social situations, encouraging two-faced behaviour, and making “celebrities” of ignorant, unpleasant, small-minded and otherwise unremarkable people.

In its cynical exploitation of the stupid (including the narrator, in my opinion) and its lack of substantial intellectual content, it is similar to the tabloid press. But it has even more severe delusions of grandeur than they do, and insults George Orwell by taking its name from his important novel, with which it actually shares only utterly trivial and superficial features.

Needless to say I won’t be watching it again. I urge you not to either.

Moral behaviour and selfishness

There is an old argument that even apparently moral and altruistic behaviour is motivated by selfishness; that we behave in that way in order to relieve our own conscience. I’m generally consequentialist and I don’t think the truth of this position can be denied. I would call an act ‘good’ if its outcome is good, even if done for the wrong reasons.

I would also say selfishness is good. The trouble is most people are not selfish enough. They are selfish only in the short term. They don’t realise that in order to be properly selfish (to fully act in our own interests) we are obliged to consider the welfare of others as well. The fact is that when we dehumanise others, we dehumanise ourselves, and the opposite is true too. When this is understood, the division between selfishness and altruism actually dissolves.

Advertising Lie

“Spray more, get more.” - Lynx

I don’t think I need even comment on this.