It’s not a direct comparison, but look at what happens to people that have money and power in our society. They become evil monsters. I think superpowers could have a similar effect. Although getting money and power requires you to be a monster already on some level, I don’t think suddenly gaining superpowers would have the exact same effect.
You’ve identified the key, though, right there: “suddenly gaining” is the problem.
You know how caterpillars form themselves a coocoon, & then inside it they are essentially reduced-to-biological-slag, & … smashing themselves against the sides of their coocoon, unable to escape the process, they are re-formed into something that we call a moth or butterfly?
The process has to make someone’s character match their “powers”.
Which is what we, globally, rejected.
Want a gun?
Who says you need to become competent to respect others’ lives ( any species ) AND you need to become competent to respect just how destructive-of-life guns are?
Just provide money, & in many jurisdictions, you’ve now got a gun!
( & people wonder why there were around 700 mass-shootings in the US of A, a couple years ago, in a single year )
IF the process of gaining superpowers forced evolution-of-character, THEN it shouldn’t be a problem.
IF the process of gaining technological superpowers-over-nature/ecology isn’t forcing character-evolution to equivalent degree,
THEN expect the whole human-evil dimensions … narcissism/machiavellianism/sociopathy-psychopathy/nihilism/sadism/systemic-dishonesty/displacing-considered-reasoning-for-ideology/displacing-objectivity-for-ideology/etc to opportunistically wield technology for their-faction’s supremacism.
IF the good have difficulty being machiavellian, but the evil don’t, THEN the evil win, right?
Natural Selection.
Same with ALL those dimensions.
That is why having the spine to make authority only available for the accountable+responsible is a requirement, of true civilization.
We haven’t done that, & we may not allow it to happen.
Universe has no obligation to allow us to survive this-century, though: The Great Filter is an actual thing, & our “entitlement” is just our unconscious-ego’s fantasy.
Toddler-character with nukes isn’t infinitely-viable.
Universe corners such idiocy into exterminating itself.
It’s not a direct comparison, but look at what happens to people that have money and power in our society. They become evil monsters. I think superpowers could have a similar effect. Although getting money and power requires you to be a monster already on some level, I don’t think suddenly gaining superpowers would have the exact same effect.
You’ve identified the key, though, right there: “suddenly gaining” is the problem.
You know how caterpillars form themselves a coocoon, & then inside it they are essentially reduced-to-biological-slag, & … smashing themselves against the sides of their coocoon, unable to escape the process, they are re-formed into something that we call a moth or butterfly?
The process has to make someone’s character match their “powers”.
Which is what we, globally, rejected.
Want a gun?
Who says you need to become competent to respect others’ lives ( any species ) AND you need to become competent to respect just how destructive-of-life guns are?
Just provide money, & in many jurisdictions, you’ve now got a gun!
( & people wonder why there were around 700 mass-shootings in the US of A, a couple years ago, in a single year )
IF the process of gaining superpowers forced evolution-of-character, THEN it shouldn’t be a problem.
IF the process of gaining technological superpowers-over-nature/ecology isn’t forcing character-evolution to equivalent degree,
THEN expect the whole human-evil dimensions … narcissism/machiavellianism/sociopathy-psychopathy/nihilism/sadism/systemic-dishonesty/displacing-considered-reasoning-for-ideology/displacing-objectivity-for-ideology/etc to opportunistically wield technology for their-faction’s supremacism.
IF the good have difficulty being machiavellian, but the evil don’t, THEN the evil win, right?
Natural Selection.
Same with ALL those dimensions.
That is why having the spine to make authority only available for the accountable+responsible is a requirement, of true civilization.
We haven’t done that, & we may not allow it to happen.
Universe has no obligation to allow us to survive this-century, though: The Great Filter is an actual thing, & our “entitlement” is just our unconscious-ego’s fantasy.
Toddler-character with nukes isn’t infinitely-viable.
Universe corners such idiocy into exterminating itself.
That, too, is Natural Selection.
_ /\ _
I just think there are certain levels of authority and power over other people that no human is actually responsible enough to be trusted with.
Most, sure, but far from all. The list of historical benevolent dictators isn’t very long, but it’s not short either.
That’s true. The list of benevolent billionaires is zero as far as I’ve seen though.