• hypnicjerk@lemmy.world
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    1 day ago

    this is completely unrealistic. an engineer and research scientist associating with a philosopher?

    • SavvyWolf
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      6 hours ago

      Engineer probably wanted to work on the Dispair Pit.

    • Whelks_chance@lemmy.world
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      1 day ago

      It was the only way to secure cash from the funding agency. The philosopher had a track record of winning projects, and “emeritus” in their title, so everyone is forced to hang around with them in order to continue their livelihoods.

      For some reason the project proposal also includes the funding of two post grads to interview other post grads on the importance of poetry written in that time period.

      Applications are being written for a follow on project to ask local residents if they feel more or less royalist every 6 months for the next 4 years.

    • The Quuuuuill@slrpnk.net
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      1 day ago

      yeah those dorks look down on the philosopher for not knowing things even though they don’t know how society works and the philosopher does

  • General_Effort@lemmy.world
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    1 day ago

    Hmm. There are a number of examples of feudalist societies intentionally suppressing technological advances to keep the social order stable; ie preserve the good life for the people on top.

  • DarkCloud@lemmy.world
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    24 hours ago

    We don’t have any a political alternative outside of what is a mix of Oligarchy and RealPolitik. Never have done, never will do.

    Some social disguises of the system appear either less harmful or more appealing to the public, but it’s all the same chieftain system we’ve always had, and always will have, regardless of the legalese we describe it with…

    …because raw political power derived from a mix of status, wealth, and pragmatic circumstance is always and will always be above the law. That’s a definitive aspect of being able to construct such systems or change the disguises we clothe them in (eg. the legalese and hence appearances/perceptions).

    Political change, progress, these are the illusions that always dissolve, leaving the same consistent “true” system to be revealed. All changes in any practical sense were the willing choices of the powerful, always simply to perpetuate personal power.