What are the dimensions along which humans separate themselves from one another? A few common examples:
- sex (and sexual orientation)
- age
- race
- health
- wealth
- religion
- politics
- location
- language
- ancestry
- education
- citizenship
Some of these categories are mutable, by choice, by accident, by time, by technology; others may be disguised but not (ordinarily) altered. Some are exclusionary and have a unique setting (at a given moment); others can assume many simultaneous values. Some vary along a continuum; others are limited to a few discrete answers. Some positions are heartfelt, cherished, tenaciously held; others seem of little consequence and can trivially be let go.
The most troublesome bins, as far as society is concerned, are ones that:
- are hard to change;
- are easily observed; and
- have large subpopulations which frequently must interact with one another.
Prime instances of this are sex and race — universal foci of cultural problems. But there are many other danger-ridden dimensions, including religious belief, national origin, and economic status. The key challenge for human civilization (and the individuals who comprise it) is to understand and overcome these divisions between people.
Monday, January 24, 2000 at 05:49:17 (EST) = 2000-01-24
(correlates: PolicyMaking, PersonalInversion, EatingOnesOwnCooking, ...)