Is a perfect world possible?

[mkotova]

Imagine you are in the year 1798 and you are Thomas Robert Malthus. The Industrial Revolution in England has only begun a couple of years ago in 1785. Malthus argued in his essay, "On Population" that a perfect world isn’t possible due to the Earth being a set size and the population increasing constantly. The power of population is greater than the power of Earth to produce subsistence of man.
Now, imagine you are Malthus and you have somehow been transported to today, the year 2013. How would Malthus react? Would he see that, due to advances in agriculture and farming methods providing more food than we could possibly consume, a perfect world is possible in this day and age? More importantly, do you think his argument would change at all? Can an imperfect world become perfect?

[PeterL]

Exactly what do you mean by "perfect"? It hinges on that. The way that I define "perfect" this world is perfect.

[vivas.will]

1) One of his points was that there's not sufficient resources to sustain population growth forever (or am I wrong?). Anyways, this is logical: the earth is finite, so it can only hold so many resources, which can only support a certain population. It's common sense.
2) If he were transported into this age, and saw that 21,000 people die every day of hunger every day, that North America and Europe hold a disproportionate amount of wealth compared to other nations (just think of the sweatshops, the inhumane way products are produced for western consumption, children picking through mountains of garbage to make a living), saw all the wars and massacres occurring everyday (in the name of freedom and democracy!), he'd probably think himself justified. The world's the same as it's always been, if not worse.
3) Perfection, in my personal opinion, isn't possible due to one reason: human nature. There is much good in us i.e. compassion, sympathy, love, caring. There is also terrible things about us, like hatred, lust, jealousy, anger. These have been part of the human experience since time immemorial, and will continue to be with us until the end. So no, personally, I don't think a perfect world (in the way I conceive of it) will ever be possible.

[PeterL]

1) One of his points was that there's not sufficient resources to sustain population growth forever (or am I wrong?). Anyways, this is logical: the earth is finite, so it can only hold so many resources, which can only support a certain population. It's common sense.
2) If he were transported into this age, and saw that 21,000 people die every day of hunger every day, that North America and Europe hold a disproportionate amount of wealth compared to other nations (just think of the sweatshops, the inhumane way products are produced for western consumption, children picking through mountains of garbage to make a living), saw all the wars and massacres occurring everyday (in the name of freedom and democracy!), he'd probably think himself justified. The world's the same as it's always been, if not worse.
3) Perfection, in my personal opinion, isn't possible due to one reason: human nature. There is much good in us i.e. compassion, sympathy, love, caring. There is also terrible things about us, like hatred, lust, jealousy, anger. These have been part of the human experience since time immemorial, and will continue to be with us until the end. So no, personally, I don't think a perfect world (in the way I conceive of it) will ever be possible.

And someone thinks that this world is something other than perfect. Come on. What is perfection? If one has an absolute ideal, then that is perfection. If one regards perfection as a state from which improvement is impossible, then this is perfection.

If there are people who want the human experience to be love and happiness, then maybe we can lobotomize those people; they won't be able to tell the difference anymore.

[cafolini]

It is impossible to create a perfect world. And it is not because of this or that. God already did it.

[vivas.will]

I don't disagree. I think we're approaching perfection from different angles. From a pragmatic point, the atrocities occurring in the world (not just today, but throughout history), can hardly classify this world as perfect. I'm talking from a practical point of view, as someone who's lived in a place where children actually sift through mountains of garbage to make a living. I don't understand how you could sit down with them, face to face, and explain that the world in perfect the way it is, when we sleep in warm houses and have food everyday while they must suffer cold, disease and starvation.

Also, how I don't see the connection between scraping away someone's frontal lobes and happiness/love?

[cafolini]

Trying to explain God requires an arrogant position. Nobody can do it.
Explain to children how to fare better? That's another story.
It is impossible to create a perfect world. And it is not because of this or that. God already did it.

[Vota]

It's impossible for "man" to create a perfect world because despite our beautiful design, we are mentally FAR from perfect. The best I think we can accomplish is trying to conceive of a perfect world and then striving to achieve it. Sort of an aim for the stars, but hit the moon in reality paradigm.

[PeterL]

It's impossible for "man" to create a perfect world because despite our beautiful design, we are mentally FAR from perfect. The best I think we can accomplish is trying to conceive of a perfect world and then striving to achieve it. Sort of an aim for the stars, but hit the moon in reality paradigm.

Speak for yourself; you may be "mentally FAR from perfect," but that doesn't mean that everyone else is.

[cafolini]

Speak for yourself; you may be "mentally FAR from perfect," but that doesn't mean that everyone else is.

True. Neither does the reality paradigm is identified as a world because it is impossible as such; an empty set.

[WICKES]

Of course not. For a start one person's utopia is another person's hell.

[Vota]

"Speak for yourself; you may be "mentally FAR from perfect," but that doesn't mean that everyone else is."

You aren't mentally perfect. If you were, you'd be spending your time on far more important activities than posting on this forum. I just proved my statement.

[PeterL]

"Speak for yourself; you may be "mentally FAR from perfect," but that doesn't mean that everyone else is."

You aren't mentally perfect. If you were, you'd be spending your time on far more important activities than posting on this forum. I just proved my statement.

Do you know what it means when someone uses an ad hominem argument? And that is an ad homimem.

[stlukesguild]

Do you know what it means when someone uses an ad hominem argument? And that is an ad homimem.

Ad hominem or not... he or she is right.

[MorpheusSandman]

you may be "mentally FAR from perfect," but that doesn't mean that everyone else is.

Actually, according to modern cognitive sciences, all human minds are, indeed, far from perfect. We come hardwired with hundreds of reality distorting biases from which we construct useful illusions to help us survive and procreate. Besides preventing us from (easily) discovering truths about reality, they also prevent us from recognizing/correcting flaws in ourselves, or recognizing the flaws within the structures (social, moral, etc.) we're either knowingly or ignorantly a part of. Reprogramming/deprogramming these biases is a difficult endeavor for even highly intelligent individuals that are aware they exist; most don't even know they exist. Here's a good academic introduction, or this website if you want something for free.