Cosmologic philosophy: dark matter is or isn't? (Introduction)

by dhw, Monday, February 01, 2016, 18:30 (3218 days ago) @ David Turell

DAVID: I would remind you, as a 'lucky one' you made your own luck by your own actions. Luck of this kind is not a lottery result, but a willingness to actively pursue your own ambitions. Having cared for immigrants from some of the disastrous areas of the Earth, I've seen this kind of 'luck' in action. In my view we all have the ability to be lucky. Unfortunately, only some act on this potential drive. The key is finding a way to encourage others to recognize their possibilities. There are ways, but unfortunately they fall on deaf ears. How sympathetic should we be?-We have abandoned dark matter, the quantum world and the subjectivity of reality, and are entering the realms of psychology, sociology and politics. And why not? As always, there are different sides, and I cannot present this issue in the same either/or way that you do. I do not believe that all holocausts, racial cleansing, totalitarian oppression, diseases, natural disasters etc. are the fault of or can be avoided by their victims. The immigrants you cared for got away, but how many of their compatriots were killed, imprisoned, unable to leave their country? My great-grandparents escaped from the pogroms, and so I was lucky enough to be born in a country of relative freedom and political and geological stability. And I was lucky enough to have parents who loved me and gave me a good upbringing. No, we do not all have the ability to be lucky, and we are not always responsible for what happens to us. How sympathetic should we be? No one is denying that there are many cases in which the person himself/herself is responsible for their own “bad luck”, but we should never simply assume, as some of our politicians seem to do, that fakery or lack of personal responsibility are the basis of the problem. Where people are victims of circumstances beyond their own control, we should be very sympathetic indeed. And I have no doubt that you draw the same lines as I do!