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> I believe that an individual has a fundamental responsibility to the society into which they were born Why exactly?

JoeAltmaier 12y ago
If the OP is like most of us, because its right to give back more than you've received. Just using a tool like society isn't enough; you want to contribute to its maintenance, maybe even improve it while you're there.
rybosome 12y ago
Being born into a society (particularly a wealthy one) bestows many gifts. Chance of survival increases drastically, and the new member is given access to a treasure-trove of information accumulated over tens of thousands of years. Take growing crops, for instance; such an essential part of human life, it is something that we ("we" being humans) have earned. The acquisition of this knowledge was hard-won, requiring the effort of countless human beings. How many people starved to death, teaching the survivors that a particular strategy was bad? How many people collaborating did it take to develop a language and writing system with which to communicate these teachings? This goes on and on; modern society, for all its faults, is a towering monument to the best of human potential, and to the incredible sacrifices made by our ancestors so that we could be here and alive today. Given that we all owe our existence (and current level of comfort) to the social responsibility born by our progenitors, we must shoulder that same responsibility for the sake of our peers and our descendants. Someone who does not wish to take on that responsibility has no reasonable claim to the continued benefits of society - e.g. if you won't foster an environment in which medicine can be studied, then you do not deserve to benefit from the years of medical study prior to your interference. This is a fundamental value for me; I'd be interested in hearing a counter-argument, but I highly doubt that I could be dissuaded.

If the OP is like most of us, because its right to give back more than you've received. Just using a tool like society isn't enough; you want to contribute to its maintenance, maybe even improve it while you're there.

rybosome 12y ago

Being born into a society (particularly a wealthy one) bestows many gifts. Chance of survival increases drastically, and the new member is given access to a treasure-trove of information accumulated over tens of thousands of years. Take growing crops, for instance; such an essential part of human life, it is something that we ("we" being humans) have earned. The acquisition of this knowledge was hard-won, requiring the effort of countless human beings. How many people starved to death, teaching the survivors that a particular strategy was bad? How many people collaborating did it take to develop a language and writing system with which to communicate these teachings? This goes on and on; modern society, for all its faults, is a towering monument to the best of human potential, and to the incredible sacrifices made by our ancestors so that we could be here and alive today. Given that we all owe our existence (and current level of comfort) to the social responsibility born by our progenitors, we must shoulder that same responsibility for the sake of our peers and our descendants. Someone who does not wish to take on that responsibility has no reasonable claim to the continued benefits of society - e.g. if you won't foster an environment in which medicine can be studied, then you do not deserve to benefit from the years of medical study prior to your interference. This is a fundamental value for me; I'd be interested in hearing a counter-argument, but I highly doubt that I could be dissuaded.