Excellence, the only virtue

[Andrew Karpinski]

The society I was raised in not only allows mediocrity but revels in it. It is as if our society was designed with the incompetent in mind. There are numerous examples of coddling the unable. Schools teach children as if they are assumed to be stupid. Television shows are designed with the lowest common denominator in mind. Our recreation is centered around mind numbing activities which actively lessen our intellectual power. Our jobs, are for the most part, unfulfulling. This is not to say their is no greatness; despite these obstacles it survives. Great works of literature are written and great scores of music composed. Buildings tower in defiance of the feeble minded followers who could never dream of designing such an incredible structure.

Religion and morality are social constructs which you are coerced to believe in the crudest fashion from cradle to grave. Social conditioning forces beliefs upon us in the interest of 'bettering society'. Traditional virtues are meaningless. Greatness is not.

Greatness is man's struggle to acheive dominace from the other species that exist on Earth. Greatness is man's breaching the confines of our atmosphere and travelling into outer space. It is the only thing worthy of respect and admiration. All other qualities; kindness, sympathy, benvolence and intelligence are but shallow companions of greatness.

Truly, excellence is the only virtue.

[hmkpoker]

Greatness is wrong because it creates inequality.

</moorobot>

[Sharkey]

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All other qualities; kindness, sympathy, benvolence and intelligence are but shallow companions of greatness.

[/ QUOTE ]

Without other people having those qualities, many a “superman” would be masturbating in a cave rather than in front of a computer.

[Andrew Karpinski]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
All other qualities; kindness, sympathy, benvolence and intelligence are but shallow companions of greatness.

[/ QUOTE ]

Without other people having those qualities, many a “superman” would be masturbating in a cave rather than in front of a computer.

[/ QUOTE ]

I never have any idea wtf you're talking about. Ever.

[DougShrapnel]

Our shallow minds cannot understand just how under awe-inspiring these feats of greatness are. A sky scraper is nothing more than steal, concrete, and glass. Breaching the atmosphere, merely a parlor trick over powering the weak force of gravity that has keep us in place for all these lives. We revel in stories told by ourselves about ourselves, by pen or by wand, as if to say look at us, are we not great? Do we not radiate greatness? Have we not mastered the waves in the air around us? Excellence? Humility. We are excellent only by chance, that nature(God) so fit us to bestow its excellence upon us.

[RagnarPirate]

While I agree with your sentiment, I would humbly suggest that you look up the word virtue. I like the definition: a particular efficacious or beneficial quality.

Productivity, independence, rationality, integrity, justice, and confidence are some of the best virtues. They are the qualities that make "greatness" possible. Mercy and altruism are anti-virtues in that they lack efficacy and even foster ineptitude.

There are two aspects of your post that concern me. You rightly reject today's morality. But, you should not reject the concept of a moral code. Every human has a moral code (a standard of good and evil). The problem is that most people never make their's explicit and rational. They accept the predominant code that sacrifice for the benefit of others is the standard of good. Guilt comes from betraying the moral code that you have accepted as your own. Because it is necessary to benefit yourself if you wish to survive, you are destined to violate a code which has your sacrifice as its moral standard. You must discover the moral code which has an objective basis in the nature of man (read Atlas Shrugged and you will understand this moral code).
My other concern is with your obvious contempt for society in general. While I agree that many people have very harmful world views, the general public also has many redeeming qualities. Most people understand that productive work is necessary in order to enjoy life. Most people have a moderate sense of integrity and justice. Unfortunately they are striving to fulfill a moral standard which has their sacrifice as its goal. Benevolence is a lesser virtue in which you assume that the average person is likely to have qualities that make interacting with them to be a net positive benefit to you. And, in general, this is true. Most people are decent. When they do something to convince you otherwise, you should treat them accordingly. But a blanket contempt for others is likely to not be efficacious or an enjoyable way to live your life.

[chezlaw]

I'm a big fan of medicocity. I do it excellently.

[ QUOTE ]
All other qualities; kindness, sympathy, benvolence and intelligence are but shallow companions of greatness.


[/ QUOTE ]
Just a mediocre way of justifying being a nasty git.

chez

[A_C_Slater]

I would like to be the first member in your cult of personality. I will be the Hess to your Hitler.

Excellence Heil!

[Andrew Karpinski]

[ QUOTE ]
I would like to be the first member in your cult of personality. I will be the Hess to your Hitler.

Excellence Heil!

[/ QUOTE ]

*yawn*

[..........]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
All other qualities; kindness, sympathy, benvolence and intelligence are but shallow companions of greatness.

[/ QUOTE ]

Without other people having those qualities, many a “superman” would be masturbating in a cave rather than in front of a computer.

[/ QUOTE ]

I never have any idea wtf you're talking about. Ever.

[/ QUOTE ]

If I may: Masters need slaves. [/truth]

[guesswest]

What does excellence have to do with dominance???

As a matter of fact, not that I subscribe to it, but Aristotle's doctrine of the mean was meant to be a pursuit of 'excellence' (the Greek word for 'excellence' is 'arete', sometimes translated 'virtue' - they were something approaching synonyms). The whole point of this idea was that excellence was achieved by finding the mean between two extremes, eg courage as oppose to rashness or cowardice - and we've inherited a great deal of our ethical sense from this. Like I say, it's not my own ethical code, but it's hard to excel at one thing in life without neglecting others.

What really is your goal in striving towards this? Pushing along natural selection at the price of misery? What's the point in that? I think of making people happy as a much more worthy goal, and if we get hoverboards 50 years later as a result, I don't really care.

[pilliwinks]

I think our Andrew may be keen on getting other people's admiration and respect. I also suspect you may have at least 10 years experience more than he has...

I know it won't influence Andrew's opinion of him, but we all know what happened to Nietzsche. He became not-great in the most public and embarassing way. And was looked after by people who, luckily for him, didn't strive for 'greatness'. I find this a useful lesson about the gap between reality and philosophy.

I've posted this before, but what the heck: as far as I can tell, the only lasting pleasure comes from self-sacrifice. I have no problem with excellence, indeed I strive for it, but excellence bought by sacrificing others is not for me.

[Andrew Karpinski]

'the only lasting pleasure comes from self sacrifice'

ever read a really great novel?

[DrunkHamster]

"Be excellent to each other"

[KeysrSoze]

Why do I feel I'm reading a Kurt Vonnegut story while reading this thread?

[pilliwinks]

[ QUOTE ]
'the only lasting pleasure comes from self sacrifice'

ever read a really great novel?

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Touche /images/graemlins/grin.gif

Perhaps I should say the only lasting pleasure you can gain from your own efforts, comes from self-sacrifice. The sacrifices of others can indeed bring lasting pleasure, as any Christian will tell you.

[MidGe]

[ QUOTE ]
The sacrifices of others can indeed bring lasting pleasure, as any Christian will tell you.

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Yes, like thne heretics sacrifices to the inquisition?

Let's get back to some sense here!

[pilliwinks]

Well, I guess you might get some lasting pleasure from the inspirational truthfulness of the martyrs lost to the madness of the inquisition, but maybe that's not what you had in mind?

[MidGe]

[ QUOTE ]
Well, I guess you might get some lasting pleasure from the inspirational truthfulness of the martyrs lost to the madness of the inquisition, but maybe that's not what you had in mind?

[/ QUOTE ]

The sacrifices of others??? Your words.

[pilliwinks]

Yes. I was agreeing with Andrew that others can do things for us that are life-changing in a good way.

I'm not too sure why you'd regard this as controversial. I only mentioned Christians because they are a fairly well known group who claim that their life is changed profoundly by the sacrifice of Jesus. Sorry if I wasn't clear about that.

[MidGe]

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...I only mentioned Christians because they are a fairly well known group who claim that their life is changed profoundly by the sacrifice of Jesus...

[/ QUOTE ]

Only fairly well known to some as such, not to all...


This is not a proselytizing forum. /images/graemlins/smile.gif Sorry if I wasn't clear about that.

[pilliwinks]

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This is not a proselytizing forum. /images/graemlins/smile.gif

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Lol. My apologies if you felt any attempt to persuade you to accept my perverse beliefs. Entirely unintentional. I was actually trying explain what I think. Mainly to myself.