I always liked Andrew Ryan's character in Bioshock but there's one thing I disagree with him about. He believes altruism is the greatest lie ever told, I say it's original sin. Whether it stems from religion, social engineers or just plain cynics, the whole idea that human beings are inherrently tainted by evil is absolute nonsense of the foulest kind!

First of all, the people perpetuating it tend to be the types who are really in no position to lecture about morality when you look at their track records. Clergies dictating morality is especially hilarious when you read any history book. Politicians are no better and behind every social engineer who claims good intentions, you'll find an bastion of intolerance and bigotry.

I mean, look at the bible's version of it. We gain knowledge and free will and that's painted in a bad light and all of humanity have to pay for it? Billions and billions who had nothing to do with the original supposed crime? That's beyond ridiculous, it's downright asinine! Knowledge is what gave us all the wonders that religion only promises us and never lifts a finger to provide. That's really what religion is all about, teaching you to be ashamed to be human so they can offer you the one way out. By submitting to an infallible authority who really is nothing of the sort.

The politicians do it too. Laws that basically punish you before you've actually done anything wrong just to make sure they nab all the wrong doers. Sure, some innocents get trampled along the way but it's all for the greater good! Some call that keeping the peace, I have different term for it: Witch hunting. We all think of that time in history with disgust so how much spin does it take to make it okay in this day and age?

And just the regular people who say people are inherrently bad, you may very well be the worst because you spur it all on! If you like to point to all the bad news on TV as evidence for your view, let me direct you to the fact that IT'S ON THE NEWS BECAUSE IT"S UNUSUAL! Seriously! When the news is reporting nothing but good deeds, then you can start worrying.

I've had the argument made that human beings are naturally drawn to war and we need authorities to prevent that. Well, anyone with even a rudimentary understanding of history can tell you that if that's not a clear case of trusting the fox to guard the hen house, I don't know what is. Think about it! If that's true, why do drafts even need to exist? Yeah, same old story. If it's really what humans are drawn towards, why does it need to be backed up by force? Whether it's the threat of exile from the tribe, execution for treason, being lied to with that whole "50 virgins in the afterlife" nonsense or just the fact that while service in the military is optional in the US, if they decided to ship you off to Iraq once you're in, you get no say.

Think about this. There's no traffic cop at every single intersection and yet there's far more people heeding it than running red lights and this was the case even before they put the cameras up. You probably had 20 opportunities to steal and get away with it today and yet you didn't did you? Do you think you're different from anyone else in that respect?

"But people only obey traffic lights because they don't want to crash and they don't steal only because they'd be shunned at the very least if they were caught!"

EXACTLY!!

This is the big flaw, the belief that self interest and being a good person are mutually exclusive. They're not. In fact, they make an unstoppable team together. People who preach against self interest are really just preaching in favor of collective interest in themselves and that is what's truly a sin if anything.

If these people had any real morality, they'd let you make those calls yourself rather than treating you like children and arrogantly putting themselves above their own petty rules. They don't care about you, they don't know the first thing about morality and they quite frankly don't know the first thing about how the world works and despite their lengthy history of failures, still have the nerve insist they know best.

Some call me harsh on collectivists but I just give them the same level of respect that they give everyone else: none.


My name is Lord T Hawkeye and I'm proud to be human