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As horrible as they were, the British Empire probably was a positive influence on the world. Without them I doubt we would be able to have a conversation 1000s

As horrible as they were, the British Empire probably was a positive influence on the world. Without them I doubt we would be able to have a conversation 1000s of miles away right now. The same argument can be made for the Roman Empire. Empires of the past are looked down on because they are a unified machine of violence, a center of evil we can point to and hate. Creating civilization is brutal, but the alternative is much scarier. A world of tribes and decentralized violence & oppression toward no end. Just as much pain, but not recorded, all in vain.

timthelion 9y ago
Is civilization even good? Civilization seems to be on track to destroy everything and everyone: http://www.businessinsider.com/germany-insect-population-flying-bugs-climate-change-pesticides-population-decline-2017-10 http://www.businessinsider.com/germany-insect-population-fly...
- dang 9y ago
  Please don't post unsubstantive comments or (especially) take threads in generic directions. Signal/noise gets steadily worse when you do that because people have fewer substantive things to say and get louder about them. https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html
ionised 9y ago
This sounds very much like the 'white man's burden' of having a moral obligation to 'civilise savages'.
- dontlikeitupem 9y ago
  Isn't it? Should we have allowed the Indians to call on such savage practice as suttee? One of the greater horrors of post colonial sub continent africa is how little education reached the populace and the savage beliefs that perpetuate atrocities even now. Imagine if we had been able to teach them that they didn't need to kill and mutilate albinos for example?
  - boomboomsubban 9y ago
    The West was still full of savage practices when suttee was outlawed, and the millions killed by colonialism outweigh the lives saved by this "education."
    - dontlikeitupem 9y ago
      In these countries, as the population trends towards the billions, we will see the ongoing benefits of education.
      - boomboomsubban 9y ago
        If you're talking that kind of time frame, education did not require colonialism.

timthelion 9y ago

Is civilization even good? Civilization seems to be on track to destroy everything and everyone: http://www.businessinsider.com/germany-insect-population-flying-bugs-climate-change-pesticides-population-decline-2017-10 http://www.businessinsider.com/germany-insect-population-fly...

dang 9y ago
Please don't post unsubstantive comments or (especially) take threads in generic directions. Signal/noise gets steadily worse when you do that because people have fewer substantive things to say and get louder about them. https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html

ionised 9y ago

This sounds very much like the 'white man's burden' of having a moral obligation to 'civilise savages'.

dontlikeitupem 9y ago
Isn't it? Should we have allowed the Indians to call on such savage practice as suttee? One of the greater horrors of post colonial sub continent africa is how little education reached the populace and the savage beliefs that perpetuate atrocities even now. Imagine if we had been able to teach them that they didn't need to kill and mutilate albinos for example?
- boomboomsubban 9y ago
  The West was still full of savage practices when suttee was outlawed, and the millions killed by colonialism outweigh the lives saved by this "education."
  - dontlikeitupem 9y ago
    In these countries, as the population trends towards the billions, we will see the ongoing benefits of education.
    - boomboomsubban 9y ago
      If you're talking that kind of time frame, education did not require colonialism.