“You could be the CEO of a company devoted to feeding the world, spend your life developing the Food-o-Matic which can feed everyone on the planet, but if you neglect to care for your kids, then your kids just have to live with your neglect.” sarahendren.com/2024/10/2…
@ablerism I’ve been thinking about some similar topics. For example, the doctor who becomes a content creator because he can reach millions of people that way. But if every doctor made that choice, it would be terrible. I also find it interesting that people working on large scale solutions often think their contribution is invaluable when history is littered with examples of the same innovation sprouting on different places at the same time. I don’t think that makes those endeavours inherently wrong, but the denigration of small mercies is an injustice.
@ablerism I think of two things on this topic, in Venn diagram form: possibility and responsibility.
Thomas Pogge: ”The morally relevant comparison of existing poverty, in any case, is not with historical benchmarks but with present possibilities: How much of this poverty is really unavoidable today? By this standard, our generation is doing worse than any in human history.”
And of course, CS Lewis: ”I think the best results are obtained by people who work quietly away at limited objectives…just as the dentist who can stop one toothache has deserved better of humanity than all the men who think they have some scheme for producing a perfectly healthy race.”
@tinyroofnail Wow, those are both so generative! Thank you. My brain is alive with these questions right now.
@ChrisJWilson Right, same ideas sprouting up in other places, but also: big plans that cause unforeseen harm too?! And yes to small mercies.
