PROLOGUE!
There has always been something about the way an individual human thinks... and society acts... that has not only rubbed me the wrong way... but has irritated my sensibilities over the years!
I have had this sore spot for most of my life, and as a result, I have come to look upon most human interaction from the viewpoint of an impartial third-party observer. (Even when it’s a situation that involves myself!)
The reason I say this is because ‘rational self-interest' is at the core of our human psyche.
It's been the main evolutionary force in our make-up for at least as long as we have been classified as human beings! (And probably a lot longer!)
I would like to suggest that this 'rational self-interest' thing is getting not only a bit annoying but also a bit detrimental to our further development as a species!
SO! I am going to propose something here!
What has served us well at this stage of our development might have a shelf-life that is fast approaching... so this might be a good time to take a hard look at ourselves and note some areas in our make-up that could cause problems going forward!
Just so there is no confusion about what I’m talking about... one of the best examples of rational self-interest is when someone has to go to court and in our adversarial legal system the accused is represented by a defence lawyer and then prosecuted by another lawyer representing the State!
Now you would think the purpose of this process was to establish a person’s guilt, innocence, involvement or complicity... but after close examination, we find this lofty ideal is far removed from reality.
It has no bearing on the outcome of the trial in any way, shape or form!
Just like an individual person, our legal system has a strict code of self-interest... and therefore the prosecuting attorney is mandated to establish guilt no matter what the cost... while at the same time the defence attorney is obligated to jump through hoops in his/her effort to exonerate the poor, hapless schmuck whether they are guilty or not!
Now here comes the kicker kids... whether this person is, in fact, guilty or innocent has absolutely no bearing on the outcome of the trial folks.
Rampant self-interest is at play by both sides, and justice is never properly served!
In a perfect world, the person’s guilt or innocence would be secondary to establishing the facts of a case in a broader sense.
This would automatically assign blame or innocence to all the proper recipients.
Without this motivation to win at all costs both defence and prosecuting attorneys would work together to determine the relevant circumstances of any issue and this would in turn yield an obvious conclusion that would, at the very least be agreeable to everyone! (By the same token self-dealing by an individual might be counterproductive to the long-term advancement... or even survival... of the group as a whole.)
What I’m trying to say here is this:
Societies' concerns can be better served by an: “Enlightened self-interest!” (Enlightened self-interest is a philosophy of ethics which states that people who act to further the interests of others, or the interests of the group to which they belong, ultimately serves their own self-interest.)
SO!
As I was saying... what got us to where we are in our evolutionary development in the past might not be that good for us in the future.
Rather, we will have to rely more and more on what our brethren think and do as well... and all this to achieve a consensus that includes everyone!
This attitude of compromise and co-operation might just be what helps propel us on to our next evolutionary step kids!
The way I see it anyway!
