A Random Comment from January 6, 2002

Hi Dariensan,

I agree with you on your disagreement. In looking at history, I always distinguish ‘substance’ from ‘practical matters’. My belief is that we human beings do no ever progress in substance, but we do in practical matters. By "substance" I mean more fundamental, more spiritual natures of human beings. I do not think that we are any more wiser than we were 2000 years ago. Philosophy has progressed in terms of methods of arguing philosophy, but today’s philosophers are no wiser in substance than Socrates was. We are wiser politically, scientifically, technologically, which enables us to do more in terms of "practical matters", like being able to meet more people, go to different places, read more books, make more things, etc., but at the core of all of us, we are no wiser a people than we were 2000 years ago. Cleverer, but not wiser. This is what I meant in "History Lesson", because history is essentially a progress of practical matters. In my eyes, there is no such thing as progress of substance, or wisdom, and therefore no history of it. It’s always been the same. And it always will be. Let’s just hope that we are not getting any dumber.