Post Azrsisj1fEPmJ2kFKS by space_cadet@aus.social
 (DIR) More posts by space_cadet@aus.social
 (DIR) Post #AzrrKJVIrfScAI30JU by onan@dobbs.town
       2025-11-03T11:58:04Z
       
       0 likes, 1 repeats
       
       Marcus Aurelius, "The Meditations."
       
 (DIR) Post #Azrsisj1fEPmJ2kFKS by space_cadet@aus.social
       2025-11-03T12:13:43Z
       
       0 likes, 1 repeats
       
       @onan I'm not anymore of an expert on this topic than is my pet dog. But: I'm not so sure anymore that it actually is "human nature" to be "good". I think we have at least two driving forces (urges?) inside us, including:* selfishness, and* selflessness And the Nature/Nurture debate can fight it out over which force is most dominant in any single person at any given moment in their lives. I think Marcus Aurelius had a bunch of awesome teachers and a cool library, but none of those scrolls were written by people who'd spent their lives studying the behaviour of our closest relatives: Gorillas, Chimpanzees, and Bonobos.
       
 (DIR) Post #AzsEudfjeele5QDWtM by kbal@fedia.io
       2025-11-03T13:23:46+00:00
       
       0 likes, 1 repeats
       
       That he didn't study chimpanzees instead is a rather flimsy criticism to have such prominence in your dismissal of one man's study of humanity.  It could be aimed at any ancient philosopher and most modern ones.  While there is much family resemblance and some insight can be gained from it, their nature is not ours.  (The chimps I mean; it's conceivable that the same may apply in some way to ancient philosophers.)