GROUND RULES OF THE GAME OF LIFE: A TARK MARG PERSPECTIVE.
As I have tried to show in an
earlier post (1), liberal progressivism, the dominant paradigm of social
organization today, is in demographic, military (note that the USA has not won
a protracted land war since the Korean conflict in the 1950s) and possibly civilizational
decline owing to excessive indulgence of its core mantra which can be
summarized as “the underdog is always right”.
I have proposed an alternative called
Tark Marg (2) (“Path of Reason” in Sanskrit). The basic idea is that all
individual instincts and social norms can be traced back to an impulse for
individual and collective self-perpetuation. While traditional norms also point
towards self-perpetuation, their dogmatic nature means that they often become
obsolete or counter-productive due to a rapidly changing social context
(analogous to the current spikes in obesity/allergy). Thus there is a need for
an explicit statement enshrining self-perpetuation as the primary parameter
when judging right from wrong. Application of this parameter to recent
socio-political developments suggests that many are erroneous (2). In this post
I attempt to further develop a systematic Tark Marg frame of reference. The
process yields interesting results, such as a derivation of Maslow’s hierarchy of
needs using the Tark Marg framework.
This post is divided into 3
sections:
1) Laying out a framework to
organize the world around us
2) Deriving general rules and
features of the framework, and
3) Applying these to selected questions,
such as who is or isn’t part of society, conditions for cooperation (e.g. society
formation, trade etc) or coercion such as wars, revolutions, colonization,
genocide etc.
In section 3 particularly I shall
look askance at some holy cows (literal and metaphorical). These are loaded
topics around which there are numerous taboos and absolutist “end-of-history”
opinions. Yet taboos and “eternally-settled” norms change with surprising
regularity. All societies program their citizens to react with automatic
vitriol to certain ideas. Yet I beg readers to objectively consider whether it
is the programming, not the ideas to follow, which is erroneous.
Lastly, I freely admit that this
is an evolving framework and could be greatly improved. I hope readers will
point out how.
SECTION 1: HOW TO VIEW
THE WORLD?
1.1 Y AXIS:
Let’s develop a Cartesian frame
of reference to start with. As self-perpetuation is the sole parameter of importance
(2), underlying individual instincts, social norms etc, self-perpetuation is
our dependent variable, on the Y axis. The question of what exactly the “self” to
be perpetuated is, whether it’s genetic, cultural, linguistic, religious etc or
a composite thereof is a matter for a later post; for now let’s assume that the
term means the same thing to everyone in practical terms. How may self-perpetuation,
the Y axis parameter be measured and quantified? Again, for simplicity, I shall
use a subjective Y axis, divided into self-perpetuation gains (depicted as positive)
and losses (negative) with 3 degrees of intensity, mild, moderate and major. Thus
the Y axis looks somewhat as below:
Figure 1, Y or “Effect” Axis:
Figure 1 Legend: The Y axis depicts possible self-perpetuation outcomes
of any given event or action.
The sole method available to oneself
to influence this outcome is one’s efforts, which will be represented on the X
axis.
1.2 X AXIS:
The X axis parameter “effort” can
be represented in “absolute” terms of one’s time, or currency etc. However, as
for the Y axis, I shall use subjective terms like mild, moderate and major
effort for the moment. These efforts can be in support or opposition to the
entity/object being considered. Thus, I have numbered them from -3 (major
effort against a given entity), -2 (moderate effort against), -1 (mild effort
against), 0 (ignore, be unconcerned about??), 1 (mild effort in favor), 2
(moderate effort in favor) and 3 (major effort in favor).
Figure 2, X (effort) axis:
Figure
2 Legend: A classification of all possible efforts towards other entities/objects.
Numbers indicates pro (+) or con (-)
inclination and the magnitude (1-3) of that effort towards a given entity.
Putting the X and Y axes
together, we get a framework with which we can represent the self-perpetuation
outcome of any given action.
Figure 3, Effect and Effort Axes:
Figure 3 Legend: The amount of effort involved in a given interaction
with any entity will be plotted on the X axis while the corresponding self-perpetuation
effect will be plotted on the Y axis.
We can use the above frame of
reference to empirically chart the self-perpetuation benefit (Y axis value)
associated with a given amount of effort (X axis value) towards a given entity.
I’ll somewhat immodestly name such charts as “Tark Charts”. A couple of
examples are shown below.
1.3 ENTITY CURVES ON THE TARK CHART:
1.3.1 Tark Chart for major pathogens:
Let's look at something
unambiguous to start with, like polio virus or the malaria parasite, from the perspective
of an average society. While the exact numerical values are my subjective guesstimates,
the overall trend should be generally similar. Let’s say an approximately -1.5
effort on the X axis (e.g. vaccination, sanitation etc), should lead to an almost
complete eradication of these well-studied pathogens, corresponding to, say, about
a +2.5 on the Y axis, beyond which the benefit will plateau out. A passive
approach (0) will lead to significant mortality (let’s say about -1 or -2 on
the Y axis), while having a positive attitude towards these deadly pathogens is
unthinkable, because it is virtually calling for extinction (highly negative Y
axis value). The resulting graph should look something like this:
FIGURE 4, Tark Chart for major pathogens:
Figure 4 Legend: For deadly pathogens like the malaria parasite or
polio virus, the application of substantial efforts required for eradication
yields major self-perpetuation (Purpose) benefits (point -2, 2.5). An ignorant
or agnostic attitude with cause significant perpetuation loss (0, -1.5), while
a favorable attitude is so harmful for perpetuation as to be unthinkable. Note
that the exact values are speculative, and will vary, but the general trend is
illustrative.
1.3.2 Tark Chart for Fellow Citizens:
In contrast to the above parasites,
the curve is totally different for fellow citizens from an individual’s
perspective. A hostile approach towards fellow citizens (say about -2 on the
effort axis), whose average capacity is likely similar to one’s own and who
will be much more numerous, is certain to invite severe retaliation which will
lead to a very low Y (~ -2.5) for oneself. Neglect of basic duties like paying
taxes or participating in social life (0 on the X axis) will also be associated
with a negative outcome on the Y axis. On the other hand, cooperation with
one’s fellow citizens is essential to obtaining the basic necessities of life
as well as other benefits like mutual protection, help during times of need, collaborative
scientific advancement etc. Thus the slope of a Tark Chart for an individual’s
interaction with fellow citizens in a society is decidedly upwards. I’ve
depicted this scenario below. As before, while the exact values are guesses,
the general trend should be similar.
Figure 5, Tark Chart for Fellow Citizens.
Figure 5 Legend: The slope of cooperation with fellow citizens is
unambiguously upward trending.
These charts demonstrate that
different entities give sharply different self-perpetuation outcomes in return
for similar efforts. With this point in mind, what general principles may be
derived? I present some views below. Note that these are rules of thumb based
on my subjective observation, and are not infallible.
SECTION 2: GENERAL
RULES OF THUMB:
2.1: Capacity for effort is limited and must be expended carefully.
Obviously, the total amount of
effort that any entity can apply is finite. Let’s denote the total capacity of
entity E as CE. At the same time, as discussed before, the goal of
all entities (implicitly promoted by instincts and social norms) is to maximize
the self-perpetuation (Y axis) value. Thus, the issue before any entity,
particularly a rational one as Tark Marg assumes, is to expend its effort
capacity CE in a manner which maximizes its self-perpetuation.
In other words, the entity must
choose a series of efforts (i.e. expenditures of its total Capacity CE) (X1, X2, X3…) towards entity/object 1, 2, 3
and so on, such that |X1| + |X2| + |X3|…. <=CE, so as to maximize
the cumulative outcome of their corresponding self-perpetuation (Y axis) values
(Y1*Y2*Y3…). Note that we’re using |X|, the absolute value of X, as effort
expended is subtracted from CE, irrespective of whether that effort
was used cooperatively or coercively.
However, in order to accurately
represent this situation, we have to first modify the current Y axis, which
currently represents relative change rather than absolute self-perpetuation
outcomes. For instance, according to the above formulation using the current Y
axis (-3 to +3), two major loss events (both with negative Y) multiplied
together give a high positive value (major gain), which is absurd in real life.
For this reason, we must set the lower bound of the Y axis to zero, by adding 3
to the Y axis value.
The cumulative outcome then
becomes (Y1 + 3)*(Y2 + 3)*(Y3 + 3)… and so on. Thus a Y = -3 event (e.g.
extinction) on the old Y axis (Figure 1) will yield a zero term (-3 + 3 = 0),
multiplication by which will results in a zero cumulative product irrespective
of the Y values of other actions, reflecting the fact that extinction cannot be
compensated for.
Another problem remains in this
formulation; a no loss/no gain situation (old Y axis value = 0 in Figure 1)
gives a value of 3. However this implies that a no loss/no gain event also
produces an increase in the cumulative product, which is not reasonable. To
address this issue, let’s divide the above by 3. The parameter then becomes:
(Yi + 3) Let this parameter be denoted as (1).
3
So the product then becomes
(Y1 + 3) * (Y2
+ 3) * (Y3 + 3) * …… and so on
3 3 3
This equation seems to accurately
reflect the situation we face.
So, in formal terms, the task of
any entity E is to
Maximize the cumulative product Π (Yi + 3)
3
subject to Σ |Xi| <= CE. Let the above conditions be referred to as (2).
where i refers to any of all the
possible entities/objects in the subject entity E’s environment, including
itself.
This is an optimization problem
similar to the “Knapsack Problem” (3), where one has to fit in objects of
various values and weights in a knapsack of fixed weight capacity so as to
maximize the total value of the objects in the knapsack, although in the
knapsack problem it is the sum of the values, not the product which is to be
maximized. In our case the problem is more complicated as the CE may
itself be varied by the entity’s efforts or external factors, the various
efforts may interact with each other instead of being passive objects in a
knapsack and so on. Nonetheless, the essential problem is similar.
A quick approximate solution to
this kind of problem is to obtain for all entities and objects a ratio of value
to weight, or in our case, self-perpetuation outcomes and the corresponding
effort relative to the default case of 0 effort (X axis value = 0). In other
words obtain the ratio:
Self-perpetuation outcome of given action – self-perpetuation
outcome of zero action.
Effort involved in given
action – zero action.
= Y(x) –
Y(0) .
|x| - 0
= Y(x) –
Y(0) . Let this be denoted as ratio (3). We shall be referring to this in
later sections.
|X|
for all possible efforts “X”
applied to all entities/objects, where Y(0) is the perpetuation benefit of zero
action and |X| is the absolute effort value (i.e. disregarding the
positive/negative sign; considering only the magnitude of the effort). On the
Tark Chart this is the slope of a line drawn from the Y intercept of the entity
curve to any given point with effort value X, reflecting the self-perpetuation
yield per unit effort.
Then starting with the
entity/object with the highest ratio, we progressively add actions with a
decreasing ratio to the list until the sum of the corresponding efforts is
<= CE. For a given entity, the extent of the absolute effort
(|x|) is limited to the level where it starts to hit diminishing returns and
drops to a level just below the next best entity. Subsequent effort must then
be spent on the next entity, until that starts to yield diminishing returns,
and so on, thus maximizing self-perpetuation (condition (2) above).
For example, the benefit-effort
ratio of obtaining basic necessities like food and water is very high as Y(0)
for these is a highly negative -3 (i.e. spending zero effort on them will lead
to death (-3 on Y axis)), while Y(x) plateaus at a small positive value (let’s say
about 0.5 on Y axis) and the corresponding effort required, X, is a small
fraction of CE (let’s say ~0.25 on X axis) for an average middle
class citizen. Thus the value of basic necessities according to the formula (3)
above is [0.5 – (-3)]/0.25 = 14. Of course expending effort beyond a certain
point on food/water will lead to diminishing or even negative self-perpetuation
returns (due to ill-effects on health), so the amount of effort to be expended
on these must be carefully calibrated.
In comparison, a discretionary
activity like, for example, learning to play a musical instrument with moderate
proficiency, (say an effort of ~ 0.25 on the X axis, similar to the effort
needed to obtain basic necessities) will usually lead to minimal
self-perpetuation benefit for an average person (let’s say, generously
including hypothetical benefits like increased concentration/relaxation etc,
about 0.5), while the Y(0) (the consequence of doing nothing) is close to nil.
The self-perpetuation yield per unit effort according to formula (3) of
learning a musical instrument is then [0.5 – 0]/0.25 = 2, much less the 14 we
obtained for basic necessities above.
Comparing the above cases, it is
obvious that for optimal self-perpetuation, effort must be expended on basic
needs like food/water before music etc. While this may seem obvious, one hopes
that a systematic method like this will also be useful in less apparent cases. In
general the subsequent highest benefit-effort ratios will belong to other
slightly less crucial but still important things like reproduction (essential
for self-perpetuation), shelter, personal safety, medical care etc. If CE
is not exhausted, it’s worthwhile to add things like higher education,
philanthropic activities, blue-sky scientific research and investing remaining
effort in further increasing CE itself.
Readers will realize that we have
broadly arrived at Maslow’s hierarchy of needs here (4); starting with the
items which yield the most self-perpetuation per unit effort like food and
water (Maslow’s lowest “physiological needs” stage), we move progressively through
optimal choices for equation (2) roughly corresponding to Maslow’s hierarchy,
until, if sufficient capacity remains, we reach a stage where effort is
available to invest in higher education, technology development, philanthropy
etc (Maslow’s “self-actualization” stage).
This alignment between Maslow’s
observation and the derivations of Tark Marg is, in my view, an illustration of
how over the long term, instincts, norms and laws tend towards the self-perpetuation
imperative posited by Tark Marg.
2.2: Tark Charts will plateau at some point for both positive and
negative effort:
It seems reasonable to assume
that beyond a certain threshold, application of effort (both positive and
negative) to any given entity will plateau out. In other words further application
of effort will not lead to any change in self-perpetuation outcome. As I see
it, the Y-axis limit (i.e. maximum available self-perpetuation benefit) for
negative X against a given entity would be equal to the resources possessed by
that entity, while the Y axis limit of positive X (cooperative action) is the
maximum productive potential of that entity. Let these be referred to as YCOER
and YCO-OP respectively, and the corresponding X axis values be
denoted as XCOER and XCO-OP. Between these limits, the
curve must be determined empirically; in general one would expect that for
sentient entities that the curve should be upward sloping (i.e. cooperation
begets positive Y while coercion begets negative Y due to retaliation from that
entity) between these two extremes. This is shown in Figure 6 below.
In situations where the marginal
capacity ΔCE (i.e. capacity left after higher value efforts have
been undertaken) greatly exceeds the XCOER and XCO-OP,
then the decision to cooperate or coerce comes down to whether YCOER
is greater or lesser than YCO-OP. Where ΔCE is in the
same range or lesser than XCOER and/or XCO-OP, the
question must be decided empirically.
Figure 6, Limits of a given entity’s Tark Chart:
Figure 6 Legend: The maximum Y axis values for both positive and
negative effort towards a given entity are depicted.
2.3: Transportation and communication costs:
Another relevant point is that
distance, accessibility, language barriers etc will impose a cost on
interaction with some entities. For entities which are distant, remote or otherwise
present communication barriers, an effort cost factor exists. Let us denote
this as Ec. Ec has been dropping for a long time now owing to improvements in transportation
and telecommunication technology, as well as openness to global trade.
Nonetheless, the factor remains non-trivial in many cases. For instance, the
cost of travel from London to San Francisco is in the order of a few hundred
dollars, compared to a few dollars within those cities.
SECTION 3: SELECTED
APPLICATIONS OF THE TARK MARG METHOD:
3.1: Occurrence of anti-monarchical Revolutions:
An interesting situation that can
be modelled using the above terms is the occurrence of revolutions within society.
Let’s consider a simplified case of two classes within society, the rulers and
the ruled. A hypothetical Tark Chart of the ruling class vis-a-vis the ruled
class is shown in Figure 7 below. Note that it is assumed that the ruling class
extracts net value from the ruled class; i.e. the YCOER is assumed
to be greater than YCO-OP. Thus if ruled class ΔCE
>> XCOER and XCO-OP, more self-perpetuation benefit
is available from coercion than cooperation.
When the ruled have a low collective
ΔCE (owing to weak cooperation between them, for instance), the
optimal path is a positive X value (i.e. acquiescence with the ruled), as shown
in Figure 7. But when the ΔCE of the ruled class increases to such
an extent as to significantly exceed ruling class XCOER, for
instance owing to better literacy or organization, it becomes more beneficial
for the ruled class to switch to a negative (i.e. coercive) effort towards the
ruling class. In turn, the ruling class can try to retain a positive X from the
ruled class, for instance by lowering their YCOER (such as ceding some
power or expanding the franchise) or increasing their YCO-OP.
The noteworthy point is that this
switch can only occur IF and WHEN the ruled class ΔCE >>
ruling class XCOER. This may occur for example when increasing
literacy brings about an increase in ruled class per capita productivity (and
therefore ΔCE) as well as better awareness and coordination between
members of the ruled class. This reasoning yields the prediction that anti-monarchial revolutions/reforms will occur
AFTER literacy levels (a proxy for ruled class ΔCE) have exceeded a
certain threshold.
FIGURE 7:
Figure 7 Legend: When ruled class ΔCE is low (Green double
headed arrow), the maximum Y axis value is obtained for a positive X (acquiescence)
vis-à-vis the ruling class (indicated by red dot). When the ruled class ΔCE
increases for some reason (indicated by yellow double headed arrow), such
as increased literacy or awareness, the maximum Y axis value is obtained for a
negative X (reform/revolution etc).
While a detailed attempt to test
the above prediction is out of the scope
of this post, a cursory look at some publicly available data (5) shows that indicators
of ruled class ΔCE such as literacy rates rose to a specific
threshold (see Figure 8 below) before well-known anti-monarchical events like
the English Civil War and the Bill of
Rights in the 17th century (in which distinctly leftist/redistributionist
factions such as the levelers and diggers (6, 7) fought on the Parliamentary
side, although later suppressed, foreshadowing later movements), the French and
Russian revolutions (1787 and 1917
respectively) or the overthrow of the Qing Dynasty (1911) in China.
Intriguingly, in all these
countries we find literacy rates at 30-40% on the eve of these revolutions,
suggesting that this point roughly indicates the threshold at which ΔCE
of the ruled starts to exceed XCOER of the ruling class. The
chronological order of these events is also well explained; the threshold is
reached first in England (this may also explain why the Industrial Revolution
started there, a point made in ref 1), then in France and later in Russia/China. I would appreciate
readers checking whether this trend also holds in other countries.
Of course, none of the
participants in these events espoused the Tark Marg reasoning described above,
instead proclaiming various grievances/motivations/ideologies. However, it seems
likely to me that increased ruled class ΔCE allowed
re-distributionist ideologies favoring the ruled class to become dominant
rather than the other way round.
Figure 8, Connection between literacy (proxy for ΔCE) and
revolution:
Figure 8 Legend: Literacy rates vs date plotted for various countries (data
from ref 5). The occurrence of well-known anti-monarchical revolutions in these
countries is indicated by red arrows. In the case of Western Europe (purple
curve), the curve is linearly extrapolated back in time (dotted blue line) to
estimate the literacy rate around the time of the Revolutions of 1848. The literacy
data for East Asia is used as a rough proxy for China.
3.2: WHO IS PART OF SOCIETY?
Let us consider the question of with
whom one should form a cooperative arrangement (i.e. society). As described in
2.1 above, the optimal route is to arrange the order of cooperation according to
ratio (3). For a simple illustration, Let us consider 3 candidates, one’s
family, nearby neighbors and distant people, (let us assume for simplicity that
all of these persons are more or less identical in terms of innate capacity/CE).
3.2.1: Family:
Regarding family, it is apparent
that applying a negative effort to one’s kin is practically guaranteeing an end
to self-perpetuation, so for negative X, Y is close to -3, more so than
unrelated persons like fellow citizens or neighbors. Even a totally unconcerned
attitude (x = 0) is likely to greatly reduce self-perpetuation as raising a
family is a very intensive process, so Y(0) is also strongly negative. Positive
X values on the other hand will result in a sharp rise in Y as investing effort
in one’s family is directly beneficial to self-perpetuation. I’ve tried to
depict the general trend of this curve in Figure 9 below. Of course, as
described in 2.2, a point will arrive when further effort invested in family
will start to produce diminishing returns, at which point it may be worthwhile
to look at next-best candidates to expend cooperative effort on, like near
neighbors.
3.2.2: Near neighbors:
The curve for near neighbors, in
my estimation, is similar to that for family, but less steep. Coercive behavior
towards neighbors/fellow citizens will elicit corresponding retaliation from a
numerically superior group and gives a negative y value. An agnostic attitude (X
= 0; e.g. not being helpful, refusing to undertake the common obligations of
citizenship) will also invite retaliation or at least withdrawal of help,
leading to a y value which is negative (but less so than for direct family),
while cooperation will generally lead to better synergies and mutual benefit. This
results in a (somewhat subjective) curve as shown in Figure 9 below. As an
aside, it is interesting to consider whether social concepts like “rights” or “duties”
and other codes of behavior are memes which have evolved to direct individual behavior
towards the goal of collective self-perpetuation; in which case they may also
be vulnerable to being rendered obsolete by rapidly changing context (see “Empathobesity”
in ref 1).
3.2.3: Distant persons:
As mentioned in 2.3, distance
introduces a cost in terms of effort spent overcoming the distance in order to
apply the intended effort (negative or positive). In other words, a part of the
marginal available capacity, ΔCE must be spent on
transportation/communication before acting on the intended entity, irrespective
of whether the effort is cooperative (i.e. positive) or coercive (i.e.
negative). In other words, |XDISTANT| = |XPROXIMATE| -
Ec; where Ec is a positive number representing the cost of overcoming physical/linguistic
etc barriers.
What this means is that the curve
for distant entities is more flat than for otherwise equal nearer entities for
both positive and negative X values; more effort is required to produce the
same Y axis value. This situation is depicted in Figure 9.
Interestingly, the above equation
also implies that as technology lowers the cost of transport and communication,
the circle of people considered “near neighbors” will broaden and vice versa. It
may also explain why national boundaries often seem to coincide with sharp
rises in Ec (corresponding to geographical, linguistic, religious etc
boundaries). However detailed consideration of these issues is best left for a
later post.
Figure 9: Tark charts for entities of varying proximity:
Figure 9 Legend: Different proximity and relatedness factors cause the
Tark curves for family, neighbors and distant entities to vary in steepness.
While the exact numerical values are guesses, one expects the general trend to
be the same.
Thus we see that, while real life
introduces numerous variations/complexities, in general a hierarchy exists regarding
which entities should come first when expending cooperative effort. We have
assumed above that the CE or YCOER/YCO-OP are
identical for the entities considered above, which is not always the case.
Variations in these parameters may give rise to exceptions to the trend
mentioned above; for instance it is likely more beneficial to cooperate with
distant trade partners than with proximate criminals or mentally retarded
persons, especially given decreasing Ec. Nonetheless, in general, the ratio (3)
value, will vary inversely with distance, especially as proximity may also
align with some potential indicators of “self” like genetic/linguistic or other
factors of identity. A certain cut-off may be drawn above which entities may be
considered part of society, while those below that threshold would be outside,
but still worthwhile cooperating with if capacity remains.
Similarly, there will be a gradation
of the self-perpetuation benefit per unit effort between entities depending on
their ΔCE, keeping Ec constant.
Thus, more benefit may be derived from entities willing and able to
cooperate than those less willing or less able. As with the above example, a
certain threshold can be established to differentiate between entities with a
high enough mutually beneficial Y axis value to justify inclusion in society
and vice versa.
3.3: WHO IS NOT PART OF SOCIETY?
Let us now consider some examples
of entities with whom a negative X (i.e. coercive effort) may be advisable to
meet the maximal self-perpetuation condition described in section 2.1. I’m well
aware that in these empathobese times (see ref 1), such opinions are heresy.
Nonetheless, I shall proceed with what seems to be unambiguously true to me and
request a dispassionate and objective attitude from the reader. If and when
these reasoning or the assumptions underlying these conclusions are proven flawed,
I remain open to revising them. One hopes readers will reciprocate this stance.
3.3.1: Animals:
Let us consider domestic animals such
as a cow past milk production, chickens, goats etc. Their bodies convert
inedible materials like straw, grass, marine plankton etc into dense protein, fat
and micronutrients. These are particularly scarce in developing countries like
India, where anemia or malnourishment rates are catastrophically high. It is
obvious that slaughtering and consuming (say about a -1.5 effort) such an
animal will lead to self-perpetuation benefits; especially so in the case of
poorer persons/countries where other options are scarce or not as
nutrient-dense. So the self-perpetuation benefit of a -1.5 attitude is say,
about +2. On the other end of the scale, zero or positive X axis value (as
Hinduism recommends for cows, or veganism for all animals), leads to foregone
nutrition, which can be very difficult to replace, especially for poorer
persons. Thus the chart for such animal is roughly as below.
FIGURE 10, TARK CHART FOR ANIMALS:
Figure 10 Legend: Tark Chart for animals. -1.5 effort leads to meat
availability, effectively converting otherwise inedible materials like straw or
grass into edible and concentrated meat, yielding a moderate benefit. A positive
attitude is harmful to self-perpetuation in that it consumes resources without
a useful outcome. The exact shape is a guesstimate, but the general trend is
downward from left to right.
It is common to experience and
apply empathy to animals, yet we see clearly that this empathy has a negative
self-perpetuation outcome in terms of diminished resource availability, and is
thus harmful. In my view, the reflex of extending empathy to animals is a
misapplication of the beneficial instinct of empathy towards fellow citizens, a
situation which I’ve termed “empathobesity” owing to its similarity to the food
consumption and storage instinct, excess indulgence of which also leads harmful
effects like obesity (1).
3.3.2. COLONIZATION:
Similar reasoning applies in the
context of colonization of new territories. To take a recent and famous
example, the Tark Chart of Native Americans seen from the perspective of
European settlers is strongly downward trending; negative (i.e. coercive/colonizing)
effort gives Europeans, given their far greater technological capacity, the
immense resources of an entire continent, while the technological backwardness of
native Americans means that a positive X axis value brings little of value (see
Figure 11 below). It is thus obvious, and indeed moral from a Tark Marg
perspective for Europeans to colonize the American continent.
FIGURE 11: Tark Chart for Native Americans vis-à-vis European Settlers:
Figure 11 Legend: YCOER of Native Americans as seen by
European settlers is very high (due to the possibility of obtaining immense
resources), while the YCO-OP is quite low due to their technological
backwardness.
It has not escaped my notice that
this is an unfashionable, indeed heretical position. It is not taken out of
antipathy or disdain, but is merely a direct conclusion from fundamental facts.
Indeed this is a constantly repeating theme in human history. Homo sapiens
(including the ancestors of Native Americans themselves) burst forth from
Africa and colonized Europe and Asia by displacing the Neanderthals, Homo
Floresiensis, Denisovans etc (8) who occupied these lands theretofore.
Anglo-Saxons have pushed Celts to the North-western periphery of the British Isles
(9), the Turks have displaced the Greeks from Anatolia (10), Bantu speaking
Africans have displaced Mbuti Pygmies and the Khoi-San (11) and so on, not to
mention the huge numbers and types of flora and fauna like the Dodo, woolly
mammoths, the Elephant bird of Madagascar, Australian megafauna, which humans
have displaced in our occupation of the planet and conversion of land to
agricultural purposes. Thus every person alive today owes his existence to
multiple acts of displacement or extermination.
This is not to suggest that a war
of all against all is or should be the norm; far from it. Cooperation is by far
the most beneficial attitude to take towards most humans. Yet some cases may
arise, as they have throughout history, when the curve is steeply and long term
downward trending, when a negative X axis value including an all-out war of
elimination may be the self-perpetuation maximizing, i.e. moral path to take vis-à-vis
some groups. Detailed consideration of such cases however is for another time.
3.4. CONCLUSION:
In this post I’ve tried to devise
a systematic method to avoid the pitfalls associated with dogmatic adherence to
obsolescence-prone traditional norms. Although many lacunae remain, I hope this
approach can be the foundation of a new and improved approach to determining the
moral path. I welcome suggestions/criticisms, and would like to request readers
who find this blog interesting to help publicize it. Lastly, I’d like to mention some caveats which
I believe should be kept in mind when applying these concepts to real-life.
CAVEATS:
1) The
world is a complicated place, and secondary reactions to one’s effort should be
taken into account.
2) Perpetuation
implies long term oriented efforts, not short term gratification.
3) Lack of quantification should induce a sense of caution.
4) CE
is not fixed and can be increased or decreased by expending effort.
5) Self-perpetuation
often overlaps, but is far from synonymous with lifespan or personal comfort.
Indeed in many situations, self-perpetuation may be diametrically opposite mere
lifespan or comfort.
REFERENCES: (Although the use of Wiki as a reference is frowned upon, I
have cited Wiki articles below due to their great accessibility, broad range
and simplicity. I hope readers will not mind).