my favorite paragraph
of EO Wilson's 'Sociobiology'
is where Robert Trivers demonstrates
that any species which can
recognise individuals
should evolve towards
altruism
(because selfish individuals
will be held accountable)
because it supplies a cornerstone
for any future
leftwing evolutionary ethics
not me-first libertarianism
but honor-first superchivalry
where (eg) lying to get ahead
is unthinkable
but i've yet to see this clue
fleshed out into
the full, necessary
blakean christianity
in which personal experiment/experience
is the driving force
unconstrained by those damned
social 'braces'
acknowledging we've been bogged down
for some millennia
in inauthenticity
that has been overriding our finetuned
billion-year-old
genetic wisdom
encouraging non-conformity
local experimental communities
exploiting the internet
to hand government back
to the people
eliminating corporations'
bogus claim to privacy
so communities can freely
monitor their ethics
one stubborn quandary
that bugs me still
is
dog-eat-dog
vs
the nanny function
whether the state steps in
when individuals behave dishonorably
or instead insists
the victims learn
to defend themselves...?
