People don't care when hordes of people get hurt

[Zkribbler]

Originally posted by Straybow
Easier to nuke them back to the stone age.

Er...I think they might already be there.

[GePap]

Originally posted by Kidicious


If we can't contextualize the magnitude of mass suffering then how is the magnitude greater than if one person suffers . IMO, it's the same magnitude. All it is is a feeling that we experience because we imagine the event happening to ourselves. Sympathy = fear.

This is different if the number of events increase. Then we keep having the emotional reaction and the magnitude of our sympathy will increase.

edit: I'm assuming that you were making a comment about the magnitude of the sympathy that we should have not the magnitude of the suffering. The magnitude of the suffering for mass suffering is certainly more than if it just happened to an individual. Sorry, that probably wasn't clear.

I would certainly not call sympathy fear under any circumstance. And again, to be able to sympathize, you need to be able to imagine the event, if only because you are then able to imagine what kind of misery the person feels, and thus feel compasion. If the event is one in which you can't even imagine how you would feel or react, its rather difficult to know how to act.

This is also important for the ability of individuals to imagine a course of action. People are able to understand what happens in a natural disaster, no matter the magnitude. They can understand that people are homeless, and needy, so donating money or supplies will directly help, which is why you do get mass outpourings of sympathy for victims of vast natural disasters.

BUt in an event of mass political violence, most individuals don't have a clue what they can individually do to help short of perhaps going there and trying to use their own force to stop what is going on, and that FAR beyond what 99.99% of individuals would willingly do. And other possible responses like creating a political movement to force governmental action is simply too academic and also far too involved for the average individual.

[Kidlicious]

Originally posted by GePap
I would certainly not call sympathy fear under any circumstance. And again, to be able to sympathize, you need to be able to imagine the event, if only because you are then able to imagine what kind of misery the person feels, and thus feel compasion. If the event is one in which you can't even imagine how you would feel or react, its rather difficult to know how to act.

My point is that people do not feel any more combined sorrow for victims that all suffer in one event than they do if it is only one victim that suffered, because there is no human capacity for combining sorrow like that. The assuption that people make is that there is something preventing people from feeling more sorrow in events where more people suffer, but that's wrong because there is nothing to prevent.

People don't have any problem imagining the reality of the events. I don't know, maybe I don't get what you mean.

This is also important for the ability of individuals to imagine a course of action. People are able to understand what happens in a natural disaster, no matter the magnitude. They can understand that people are homeless, and needy, so donating money or supplies will directly help, which is why you do get mass outpourings of sympathy for victims of vast natural disasters.

People will also donate a great deal to individuals that are suffering so long as they know about it and that help is needed.

BUt in an event of mass political violence, most individuals don't have a clue what they can individually do to help short of perhaps going there and trying to use their own force to stop what is going on, and that FAR beyond what 99.99% of individuals would willingly do. And other possible responses like creating a political movement to force governmental action is simply too academic and also far too involved for the average individual.

This is correct. But it doesn't say anything about how much compassion that they feel. Compassion is just a compulsion to help, not actually helping.

[Sava]

It's like being out in public and witnessing a fight. Even if you are sickened by the violence, you don't want to get involved. It's not your problem. These people are engaged in a physical conflict because of one reason or another and it's not your concern. You just want to move along with your life, your business, and not get sucked into a situation that is not of any concern to you.

Human beings engage in conflict. This is not something new. The scope of modern conflicts is a reflection of the growth in human populations over time. If everyone gets drawn into a particular conflict, it divides society as a whole. People take sides and the conflict doesn't get resolved... it escalates. How do you resolve a conflict between two parties determined to kill each other? Unless you physically restrain them and force them to engage in dialogue to work out their differences, you can't. And even when restrained by force, some people will hold grudges until they die and refuse to work with the other party. That's just the way things are.

Sometimes, conflicts need to play out. I think the world community should work to protect the innocent, but beyond that, if it (or another power) tries to force a resolution; then the problem will never be solved.

The best solution? Dialogue, diplomacy, understanding. Use force as a last resort.

But at this point in time, why is it worth trying to stop a conflict? Most people don't understand the conflict. It's not their business. They don't care. It's not that people don't care about the suffering, it's that the solution isn't easy. People's lives are difficult enough without asking them to contribute to a cause they don't understand and don't feel has anything to do with them.

[Bkeela]

The Earth is so overpopulated, massive death figures should bring a warm glow of happiness rather than any kind of false sense of sorrow.

[Geronimo]

Originally posted by Bkeela
The Earth is so overpopulated, massive death figures should bring a warm glow of happiness rather than any kind of false sense of sorrow.

what good is a less crowded world to them if they are dead?

[Sarxis]

Originally posted by Bkeela
The Earth is so overpopulated, massive death figures should bring a warm glow of happiness rather than any kind of false sense of sorrow.

It isn't overpopulated, we are just inefficient at helping each other live on it.

[BlackCat]

Originally posted by Sarxis


It isn't overpopulated, we are just inefficient at helping each other live on it.

Sure it is. While there are no problem feeding people (ignoring some distribution problems), there isn't resources enough to get even on way of life.