Beautiful writing! I am prepping to step back a bit from Substack and examine how Notes works or competes with Newsletters. Unexpectedly, as I have always done, I have favored Newsletters and enjoy the dialog of the comments. This is how I happened upon The FLARE. You are a talented writer and this post was full of thoughtful observations. So nice!
Thank you! People might have assumed Notes would kill the comment section but Notes provides a different outlet and helps connection with a lot more people who your newsletter doesn’t reach. People can get more of you, the voice behind the writing.
By all means, please come to the comments. I love both.
Excellent article. Thank you for posting it. Technology is/will make such a utopia possible. There are a lot of humans that aren't particularly interested in seeing that happen, though.
In our present society, technology is a threat to our livelihood. It displaces people. An electronic medical record can shut down an entire department in a hospital. Certain conditions in place can help technology work for humans. I’ll cover some of that in the next article.
Super-interesting thought experiment! what I struggle with most is creating a truly equitable power structure (the last three words together create an oxymoron?) In Octavia Butler's Parable series, Lauren Olamina comes close to creating a blueprint, I think, but "Earthseed" is also a religion and Lauren is its visionary "leader", however brilliant and compassionate. Can there be a utopia by the people and for the people that doesn't depend on visionary individuals and their guiding principles? What would that look like?
I have to read up more on it, but there’s something called a god module in the brain that may be connected to our perception of higher powers. We do have hierarchy as primates, but I’m imagining that the people continue shunting that authority to the whole... Community. A charismatic leader is at odd with what is good for the whole since they are rarely rebuked. Equity depends on continued examination of how we lift people up to attain a fair share.
Exactly! Thanks for this, Chevanne. The planet's first charismatic leaders before Mohamed, Jesus, Jahwe, the Buddha...- all of whom came up with religions in the process - were preceded by less-stringent models? Community-based? I'd like to explore a time when every living being -- plants, insects, etc. were endowed with their own powers. Do not like the god module embedded in our brains... Looking forward to more of your posts.
Something I've always wondered about: are there traits that are stringer in some humans than in others at birth. Would, say, a person with greedy and power - hungry instincts be a good citizen of Minos even if that person had everything they wanted or needed? Are there sociopaths? How would a utopian ociety handle these variations in humans,?
These are difficult questions to answer because brain chemistry can break through all our attempts at intervention. I’m sure there would be sociopaths too that are born per certain number of citizens. I’m having a difficult time thinking about punishment. Perhaps that aspiration of rehabilitation that’s flippantly thrown around like an empty term could be realized.
I think it’s one of those things that stands out. Community care is radical because it upends established hierarchies socially and financially. It’s something I wanted to comment on before getting to topics of work because it’s the principle that comes first. If we’re all liberated then no one is pressed about “how much” someone is doing. People have intrinsic value and that feeds into the way they work and what they’re motivated by.
Ithaka is on planet Minos. If you’ve read the first installment, you’ll learn more about the planet’s history by chapter four.
Beautiful writing! I am prepping to step back a bit from Substack and examine how Notes works or competes with Newsletters. Unexpectedly, as I have always done, I have favored Newsletters and enjoy the dialog of the comments. This is how I happened upon The FLARE. You are a talented writer and this post was full of thoughtful observations. So nice!
Thank you! People might have assumed Notes would kill the comment section but Notes provides a different outlet and helps connection with a lot more people who your newsletter doesn’t reach. People can get more of you, the voice behind the writing.
By all means, please come to the comments. I love both.
Excellent article. Thank you for posting it. Technology is/will make such a utopia possible. There are a lot of humans that aren't particularly interested in seeing that happen, though.
In our present society, technology is a threat to our livelihood. It displaces people. An electronic medical record can shut down an entire department in a hospital. Certain conditions in place can help technology work for humans. I’ll cover some of that in the next article.
Super-interesting thought experiment! what I struggle with most is creating a truly equitable power structure (the last three words together create an oxymoron?) In Octavia Butler's Parable series, Lauren Olamina comes close to creating a blueprint, I think, but "Earthseed" is also a religion and Lauren is its visionary "leader", however brilliant and compassionate. Can there be a utopia by the people and for the people that doesn't depend on visionary individuals and their guiding principles? What would that look like?
I have to read up more on it, but there’s something called a god module in the brain that may be connected to our perception of higher powers. We do have hierarchy as primates, but I’m imagining that the people continue shunting that authority to the whole... Community. A charismatic leader is at odd with what is good for the whole since they are rarely rebuked. Equity depends on continued examination of how we lift people up to attain a fair share.
The planet’s first charismatic leader... 🤔
Exactly! Thanks for this, Chevanne. The planet's first charismatic leaders before Mohamed, Jesus, Jahwe, the Buddha...- all of whom came up with religions in the process - were preceded by less-stringent models? Community-based? I'd like to explore a time when every living being -- plants, insects, etc. were endowed with their own powers. Do not like the god module embedded in our brains... Looking forward to more of your posts.
That’s interesting. Each powerful unto themself. Might be something to consider as far a basic tenets.
I don’t like the god module either but I’d rather prepare myself. I’m a skeptic at heart.
Something I've always wondered about: are there traits that are stringer in some humans than in others at birth. Would, say, a person with greedy and power - hungry instincts be a good citizen of Minos even if that person had everything they wanted or needed? Are there sociopaths? How would a utopian ociety handle these variations in humans,?
You've got me thinking!
These are difficult questions to answer because brain chemistry can break through all our attempts at intervention. I’m sure there would be sociopaths too that are born per certain number of citizens. I’m having a difficult time thinking about punishment. Perhaps that aspiration of rehabilitation that’s flippantly thrown around like an empty term could be realized.
Thank you for reading! Happy to get your wheels turning. We make better by imaging first. 😊
I think it’s one of those things that stands out. Community care is radical because it upends established hierarchies socially and financially. It’s something I wanted to comment on before getting to topics of work because it’s the principle that comes first. If we’re all liberated then no one is pressed about “how much” someone is doing. People have intrinsic value and that feeds into the way they work and what they’re motivated by.
Ithaka is on planet Minos. If you’ve read the first installment, you’ll learn more about the planet’s history by chapter four.