Martin Butler's Negative Philosophy

Martin Butler's Negative Philosophy

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Martin Butler's Negative Philosophy
Martin Butler's Negative Philosophy
Are You Surprised?

Are You Surprised?

Life on planet Earth is just a repetition of the same old drivers.

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Martin Butler
Feb 05, 2025
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Martin Butler's Negative Philosophy
Martin Butler's Negative Philosophy
Are You Surprised?
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soldier walking on wooden pathway surrounded with barbwire selective focus photography
Photo by Stijn Swinnen on Unsplash

The history of the human race is largely one of wars, revolutions, purges, genocide, corruption, and lies. If a major event did not involve these drivers, we would be quite justified in being surprised but don't hold your breath. You may never be surprised in this way. Given the history of our species, we can rest assured that transactions between people, organizations, and nations will always involve lies, corruption, and possibly violence, so there should be no surprises here. And yet every time a war breaks out, politicians are seen to be corrupt, or financiers are found guilty of fraud and get away with it, we act as though something unique and different has occurred. We act surprised. Certainly, the media behave as if something never seen on this planet before has happened. Protest groups might form to highlight the injustices that are taking place, but typically, they have no power.

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