Self-defeating businesses

Interesting aren’t they? Businesses whose business it is (or should be) to put themselves out of business. Drugs companies, rehab centres and the like…

Lady Sumo

There’s a programme on Channel 4 right now called “Strictly Lady Sumo”. The contest is occurring in Japan, but I am yet to see a Japanese contestant. The British team, however, are excelling. The only trouble is the title of the programme is an oxymoron.

Advertising Lie

Here’s a great one:

“You’ve got a friend” – AA

Um.. let’s be clear. The AA are not your friend. Friends don’t charge you money for their help!

This is an example of one of those adverts (there are many) which just shows how people will continue to use a service despite its brainless advertising, through either not thinking or because there is insufficient competition in the marketplace.

Visit to a cemetary

Now the title of this article may seem rather morbid. I don’t regularly visit cemetaries (and actually favour cremation over burial), however I am about to propose that we all do. I’ve been meaning to write about this for some time – in fact ever since this great site came out.

Soon after seeing it, I found myself cycling past Streatham Cemetary. It is enormous, and it’s quite a moving place. I cycled into it and considered all the lives that have been lived, and the love had and the love lost, as I read the tombstones. A visit to a cemetary puts minor disputes into perspective, it reminds us of life’s transience, it reminds us of the important things in life, and it reminds that one day the end will come for us, and at that moment we will want to look back and feel proud of the legacy we leave. It reminds us to treat other people well.

Philosophy Meetup

Today I attended a Philosophy meetup here in London, which was interesting. Here are some of the questions I’ll be proposing at future events:

• Is empirical evidence important when making metaphysical claims?
• Who is of more value to society – the philosopher of mind or the postman?
• Is democracy a good thing?
• Is this a question?
• Is it important (or even possible) to maintain a fully consistent system of values and beliefs?
• Are all ethical discussions a waste of time – literally academic – because when faced with actual situations we invariably act on gut feelings, usually in our own short term interests?

Order from Chaos

The natural state of affairs is one of disorder and chaos. Nature has its own equilibirum, but we impose our own order on our world for human comfort, and we impose order on our own thoughts and morality to better our standard of living. It takes a lot more more effort for things to to go right, than for things to go wrong. Reflect that there only needs to be one thing out of place for things to go wrong; everything needs to be in place for things to go right.

In this process it is easy for human beings to make mistakes, and many of us do. Under pressure from other misguided, unscrupulous people, we often make decisions which are not in fact in our own interests. The important thing is that we are open minded and learn from such mistakes and evolve them out of our lives. Happy living involves trying to impose order on chaos, and learning what is best for us – identifying values which will make us happy, maximising the good and minimising the bad. The trouble is, the ability to do this properly is, for many people, a skill which has to be learnt, and some never learn it.

Good quotation

“The Office” is a programme of savage satire, but Ricky Gervais shows some humanity at the end… and here’s a very good quote from him:

“In a nutshell, my philosophy is this: There is no God so be nice to people.”

Celebrity Big Brother

This Celebrity Big Brother programme on Channel 4 here in the UK is despicable on so many levels it’s hard to know where to begin. I have not watched it for many series but, given current debate, I have just had a look at a programme.

It is manipulative and takes advantage of the thick and stupid (not only the “housemates” but also the regular viewers), delighting in causing unnatural and incendiary social situations, encouraging two-faced behaviour, and making “celebrities” of ignorant, unpleasant, small-minded and otherwise unremarkable people.

In its cynical exploitation of the stupid (including the narrator, in my opinion) and its lack of substantial intellectual content, it is similar to the tabloid press. But it has even more severe delusions of grandeur than they do, and insults George Orwell by taking its name from his important novel, with which it actually shares only utterly trivial and superficial features.

Needless to say I won’t be watching it again. I urge you not to either.

Moral behaviour and selfishness

There is an old argument that even apparently moral and altruistic behaviour is motivated by selfishness; that we behave in that way in order to relieve our own conscience. I’m generally consequentialist and I don’t think the truth of this position can be denied. I would call an act ‘good’ if its outcome is good, even if done for the wrong reasons.

I would also say selfishness is good. The trouble is most people are not selfish enough. They are selfish only in the short term. They don’t realise that in order to be properly selfish (to fully act in our own interests) we are obliged to consider the welfare of others as well. The fact is that when we dehumanise others, we dehumanise ourselves, and the opposite is true too. When this is understood, the division between selfishness and altruism actually dissolves.

Advertising Lie

“Spray more, get more.” – Lynx

I don’t think I need even comment on this.

Steve Jobs & Apple

Having had a good read about Steve Jobs, watched some videos and looked at the Apple history, I’m a little put off the whole brand. Apple, and Mac fanatics, come across as some kind of cult, with Jobs as the cult leader, also coming across a little like a car salesman. The design of the machines is certainly elegant, but I’m not entirely sold on them. Not while they don’t offer a Tablet PC interface anyway.

Nice sentence

I was just checking out classic 80s band Strawberry Switchblade when I saw this quote:

This is a totally non-commercial site with no advertising or sponsorship by any commercial stuff. Browse away untroubled by migraine-inducing banner ads, irritating pop-ups or any other form of commercial crap for products you don’t need from people you don’t like.

Nicely said. There’s a humanitarian banner on there too. What was ever wrong with the truth?

Fashion and image

I was having a discussion with someone recently about image, brand names and the amount of money people spend. I didn’t really want to have the discussion at all because this person has a kind of wry, detatched, mocking manner in argument, seeming to be playing devil’s advocate, and is largely ’switched to transmit’. I suspect sophistry, I find this manner offensive, and I don’t really want to discuss anything with someone who has this style.

Anyway, his position seemed to be that it is not possible to be overly concerned with how we appear to others, or to spend “too much” money on such things as image. He also argued that people who are slavish followers of fashion actually care less about how they appear than do other people, evidenced by them delegating their decision-making to designers. His position was essentially relativist and he found mine elitist.

It is a complicated issue, but my own position is as follows:

Certainly we all like to broadcast a certain image of ourselves through what we wear, even if that image is of a person who does not adhere to fashion trends. That image should be an accurate reflection of our genuine tastes (if we can afford it), unless we are so tragically insecure that we pretend to be someone else. But also I tried to point out that there is a cut-off point at which we can spend more money without any perceivable increase in quality – and people who do this only broadcast an image of someone who cares too much about what others think, and is unable to think for themselves. And they do care a lot: this is evidenced by the fact they are prepared to spend a lot of money on the issue. People often literally have more money than sense on this issue, and sometimes they are so desperate to follow fashions which may not even be their taste that they spend money they don’t even have. Consumer debt is a serious problem in the UK because people yield to peer pressure and advertising pressure. I think this can rightly be described as weakness. It’s a case of “emperor’s new clothes” – none of it really matters.

I am not relativist and I think the fashion industry is a collossal and disgraceful waste of money. The ridiculous clothing it produces (which you never see worn in everyday life, thank goodness) and the associated prices are appalling. And the clothing does not make the women look any more beautiful anyway. Let me tell you this from the male point of view while we’re on the topic: all these adverts showing models in this bra or that jacket… the jacket and the bra make no difference! That woman would look beautiful in rags. She’s a model! And in any case, it’s what’s inside that really counts. The woman, having been pandered to all her life, and surrounded by the superficial world of fashion, might well be incapable of having a happy interpersonal relationship based upon giving as well as receiving…

Observations

Most problems can’t be solved directly – in fact tackling them head on often only makes them worse. They have to be solved indirectly.

You should make a point clearly, and only once – repetition only weakens it.

Advertising Lie

“If it’s important to you, it’s important to us.” – Jacksons estate agents

This particular poster is offensive because Jackson’s omit to mention that the only reason it’s important to them is that they want your money. Instead, they portray themselves as some kind of benevolent charity, which they obviously are not.