I don't see large amounts charity as proof that we care more about fellow men. Advancements in technology allow more people to give more, wealthier people can give more than poorer, and laws enabling charity subsidize additional giving.
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Replying to @RickVonJaeger @OldSaintRiot
Our easier lifestyles bring out the best of us and enable us to widen our circle of empathy.
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Replying to @HPluckrose
Enabling us to do more good, which has definitely happened, does not mean we're better people for it. A better person would be good more often whether or not it's easy to be good.
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Replying to @RickVonJaeger @OldSaintRiot
It's bigger than that. What has changed culture is security. When you're not fighting for the existence of yourself, family & tribe, you can look around more and widen your circle of empathy.
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Replying to @HPluckrose
I, uh, don't see how that contradicts the things we've been saying. Being alive and not having to worry about our tribes' survivals does enable us to do more good. Can't do much good when your tribe is dead or enslaved, obv.
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Replying to @RickVonJaeger @OldSaintRiot
I'm not sure what we're disagreeing on, Do you think we disagree? I was saying we have made moral progress. You have pointed out what helped that and I agreed that it did.
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Replying to @HPluckrose
Originally, I thought we did. I guess I confused "getting better" as we've become better people rather than becoming better behaved.
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Replying to @RickVonJaeger @OldSaintRiot
We've made moral progress in our societies. We used to think slavery was OK, now we don't. We used to think killing heretics was OK, now we don't. We used to think husband's beating wives was OK, now we don't. We used to think torture was OK, now we don't. Moral progress.
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Replying to @HPluckrose
I don't disagree that such is not progress, but having a better understanding of morality doesn't mean that you are a better person for it. If people *really* thought torture was okay, you could hardly say they were bad people for keeping slaves.
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Replying to @RickVonJaeger @HPluckrose
It's definitely better now in these respects, but it can also be worse in some respects. I hate to bring it up, but it's a good example to say that abortion in the USA would be one big way in which a society has worsened morally.
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No, I think that is also a sign of moral progress.
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Replying to @HPluckrose
Okay, well, I do not think that, but you understand the point that it's possible to see things as a step backwards, yes?
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