[WISDOM AND THE ART OF LIFE] Revision of Responses to Mouse Utopia

Wisdom and the art of life

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00000 Oh

June 14, 2024

 

 

Mouse Utopia Reflection

 

·      Should we study the past and search for strategies for dealing with the present? If so, what approaches do you think will be most effective? Or if not, then what are reasons for why we cannot or should not learn from history?

 

          Humanity has indeed repeated past mistakes. Even though the results of the mouse utopia experiment have been revealed to the public, humans are showing similar outcomes. Despite knowing that they are repeating past failures, humans seem incapable of resolving the current societal issues. Therefore, even if we learn something from past mistakes, humans may still repeat them. Napoleon, unable to restrain his ambitions, invaded Russia in winter and failed. Similarly, Hitler, unable to control his desires, made the same mistake as Napoleon. There is a significant difference between knowledge and actual behavior. Also, People don’t change easily.

I believe humanity has not changed significantly from the past. Humans repeatedly make the same mistakes our ancestors did. For example, after the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, a similar nuclear accident occurred in Fukushima. The United States fought the Vietnam War but failed to establish a pro-American government, and then invaded Afghanistan and had a same result. People often fall into the illusion that they have progressed more than previous generations. However, just because time has passed and technology has advanced, we cannot conclude that human thinking and values have progressed in the right direction. I strongly believe that people usually don’t change. We all know that acquired traits are not inherited. Moreover, no one truly knows what the right values are or what the truth is. As a result, even though humanity learned new lessons from the past, they basically cannot distinguish which aspects of the past should be avoided and which aspect should be followed. Furthermore, there is a big difference between knowing something and actually changing one's behavior.

 

·      Alternatively, should we resign ourselves to the dire scenario of civilizational collapse or national extinction? If so, what form should this resignation take?

 

       We must actively take action to maintain our social system and advance society. Whatifalthist argues that the social issues observed in mouse utopia stem from several essential factors lacking in that environment: social cohesion, difficulties in the society, shared goals, moral code, and others. When problems arise in society, our first step should be to acknowledge these issues. Subsequently, we need to set goals to address them. To achieve these goals, all members of the community must work together with a sense of unity and social cohesion. These efforts should be guided by a proper moral code, and members should adhere to this code in their actions. Humans are different from mice. While mice act based on instinct, the human brain is much larger and capable of higher-level thinking than that of mice. Therefore, I believe that human society can recover before collapse, unlike mouse utopia, by setting goals based on a correct moral code and working together with unity and determination to achieve them.

 

·      Is a strict moral code necessary for the health and survival of a society? Or should a society consider other goals more important other than trying to preserve itself?

 

       In his video "How Degeneracy will kill Civilization," Whatifalthist introduces four key societal stressors necessary for a healthy society: having a purpose, social cohesion, a strict moral code, and facing challenges and adversity. I strongly agree with Whatifalthist's assertions, particularly the importance of having a purpose in life. My own experience in the military, where I studied for two hours every day driven by a clear sense of purpose, underscores this belief. I also think these four elements are closely interconnected.

Firstly, I believe that without any risks, difficulties, or constraints, a society has little potential for growth. Therefore, for a society to develop and function normally, there must be some level of discomfort, crisis, or difficulty. To overcome these obstacles, society members set common goals, which fosters social cohesion. Achieving these goals requires collective effort, thereby strengthening social bonds.

Furthermore, individuals strive to achieve these goals and take on challenges. Often, these goals are national projects that take a long time to complete. Despite this, people work and challenge themselves to overcome social issues, driven by their goals and social cohesion. Lastly, a strict moral code is essential. The goals set to overcome social problems must be moral, altruistic, and beneficial to the nation as a whole. Self-serving goals, like those of Gatsby who engaged in bootlegging to achieve personal ambitions, reflect a lack of moral code.

An example of a society that developed through these four elements can be found in South Korea during the 1960s and 1970s. At that time, people shared a common purpose of overcoming poverty and were united in their efforts through the New Village Movement. Their strict moral code was anti-communism, which, though debatable in its morality or truth, was believed to be the truth by the people at the time. Their actions were based on this moral code. Today, South Korea has escaped poverty, and consequently, there are no significant adversities for everyone to overcome together. Therefore, goals and social cohesion are also lacking.

 

·      Is feminism as great a threat to the future as Whatifalthist makes it out to be? What arguments would you use to defend feminism or gender equality against the arguments made in the video? Or if you agree with the views expressed in the video, what changes do you seen taking place in gender relations in the future?

 

       Feminism directly impacts the decline in birth rates. During World War II in the United States, women replaced men in industrial sectors, contributing to the war effort. This period marked the beginning of the suffrage movement, and subsequently, women's participation in society increased significantly. As feminism grew and women entered the workforce more extensively, birth rates tend to decrease. The more women participate in economic and social activity, the more birth rate will drop. I believe that if a country were to enact a law that women to receive only high school education, childbirth rates would increase. Women restricted to high school education and prohibited from pursuing higher education would likely make women prefer marriage and childbirth over having a career. This preference would potentially lower the average age of marriage. However, such a policy would be basically impossible to implement. Therefore, national policies must be established to ensure that women can continue to participate in economic activities even after having children. I believe, for South Korea to raise birth rate, there should be government-operated daycare facilities like in Europe, where children can be cared for until they enter elementary school.

 

 

·      Do you think modern culture tends to promote a hatred of goodness? If so, what might be the reason for why it does this? If not, what values does modern culture actually promote?

 

       There are several reasons why I argue that modern culture fosters a hatred of goodness. Firstly, in capitalist societies, competition and success are often prioritized as important values. In such societies, altruistic behaviors like kindness may be perceived as weaknesses rather than strengths. Secondly, media and popular culture frequently gravitate towards sensational and controversial content to attract attention. This often results in the promotion of conflict and negative emotions rather than kindness. Also, in a society where goals are perceived to be lacking, members may seek instant gratification, effortless gains, and materialistic or hedonistic pleasures over value of goodness. This can contribute to societal decay. Lastly, I believe the reason why modern society foster a 'hatred of goodness' is that the four key factors that Whatifalthist claims are necessary to maintain a healthy society are absent in modern society. Without these societal factors which most of the people would view as goodness, members of society do not establish and strive towards a common purpose. Due to the absence of a shared goal among members, social cohesion is lacking. With no social cohesion and shared purpose, there is also not universally understood and followed moral code. In the absence of a moral code, individualism and competitiveness prevail, leading not only to selfishness but also to the point of hating and envying others.

 

 

·      What do you think is the best response to the conditions of Mouse Utopia?

 

       In my opinion, the biggest problem in the mouse utopia experiment is the absent of social deficiency and lack of goals pursued by all members of the community. If food is provided without the need for hard work, nobody will strive diligently, and goals will disappear. Without goals, people become lethargic and lose motivation. Personally, I had a goal of entering a good university, so I spent 2 hours studying English while serving in the military. If I didn't have a goal, my military life would have been like that of the mice in utopia.

The difference between mice and humans is that while mice have strong instincts, humans are capable of rational thinking and judgment to some extent. If people were to live in a mouse utopia, groups would form first. A strong and charismatic leader would emerge at the center, and the group would be organized around this leader. Then, the leader would set a goal for the group: to conquer and kill other groups. Based on this goal, group members would act systematically. Since they have a goal to pursue, they would faithfully follow the leader. Wars would break out, resulting in the deaths of many people, and the surviving humans would rebuild the mouse utopia, repeating this cycle of history. I believe war serves as a reset button for the dying and malfunctioning society to start a new ideology and new era.

In conclusion, I believe that the members of the mouse utopia should set strong goals for themselves. Instead of setting goals based on comparison with others, they should set goals based on their own beliefs and truths and strive for them. By doing so, the social problems arising in the mouse utopia would decrease significantly, and there would be no war until the maximum capacity of the mouse utopia is filled.