there is a deep, suicidal sickness in the west

ill check out the book

the number one symptom is not having kids, or not valuing having kids

or not caring about it

and you're going to take the whole world with you

im pretty convinced that humanitarianism is the cause of alot of the problems we have. our idea of progress

you're right, but that itself is a phenomenon that deserves further scrutiny

@Jim What precipitates that, though? Exploitable empathy by those capable?

but counter to that, the romans expanded without an idea of utopia

Or just altruism for the sake of itself?

im not entirely sure what you mean?

the reasoning for humanism itself?

Yeah.

Humanitarianism specifically. or did you mean humanism?

If you attribute anything to an idea, you have to also explain

from christianity, protestantism. reminants

why that idea has traction

what makes people accept it

once they do, why do they persist in it

the idea of humans on a timeline of progress, technology. morality. wellbeing.

I don't think that's enough, such an idea could result in a multitude of ends

what does progress have to do with tribal/racial solidarity

when these people say "progress"

they mean progress towards a certain end

they conflate it with progress full stop

because that's the only progress that their values allow

i mean, humanism = one day all humans will live together in one happy house

escape from suffering

basically idealism

nothing wrong with idealism

the problem is this idealism is sick and terrible

not that it's idealistic

even so, the idea that we can escape our woes completely somehow is toxic

more toxic than the reality

The key to humanism is the ability to empathize, yes? Where do Africans fit in or religions that require servitude for non-believers?

i would say the key is universalism

Perhaps i'm not scoping the timeline long enough by asking that BTW

"we're all the same"

with christianity it was if we all believed in the same God, with humanism its if we all drink Starbucks

The secular religion of the Roman state - the imperial cult - had pretty much reduced Jove and it's host of polytheistic gods into political functionaries. The narrative of the religion was derived around Jove's role in the cosmos as a benevolent despot who transformed primal chaos into order. The emperor took on that role over the community during the secular phase.

The power it had was derived from the fact that Rome was highly successful in subduing it's warring neighbors into productive vassals.

what was their reasoning to expand?