FutureSin
Hal Finney, and several others, have been in a fascinating blog debate about cultural norms and their evolution. The question is interesting: what will future generations consider to be sins? You should read the essay here:
Morality Of The Future
After you have read the essay, answer me this: What practices (rituals, policies, activities, forms of leisure) do we engage in as a society today that will be condemned, as sins, by future generations? In other words, what do we do today that future generations will call decadent and barbaric?
For instance, slavery was considered perfectley acceptable in the late 1700's. We're ashamed of it now.
Post your comment by 11 PM tonight.
After you have read the essay, answer me this: What practices (rituals, policies, activities, forms of leisure) do we engage in as a society today that will be condemned, as sins, by future generations? In other words, what do we do today that future generations will call decadent and barbaric?
For instance, slavery was considered perfectley acceptable in the late 1700's. We're ashamed of it now.
Post your comment by 11 PM tonight.
posted by Ian Anthony Godburn at 2:57 PM
34 Comments:
One of the first things to pop in to my mind is body augmentation such as implants, face lifts, and botox. I think our future generations will look down on these behaviors and deem them as sinful. Of course now we see it as people just trying to make themselves look better and there is nothing wrong with that but the method in which people do so can be disturbing if not just outright sinful.
The essay sort of predicted what was on my mind in the case of animals. I work in a restaraunt where there are a lot of diet concsious people and I think people in the future might look at eating meat as vile and disgusting. We look down on canibalism now; who knows what people in the future will think of carnivorism? (I hope that is a word).
Norbert
Period 6
Benjamin S. Baker the fabulous says:
Eons in the future, things will be completely different from the lives we live now. I kinda think that civilzation is gonna make a complete 360 (we're gonna go back to a Stone Age at some point). Specifically though, in the nearer future, I feel as if society will be less vain. People will finally realize that skin cancer is bad, and tanning will not be an activity that Future-Benjie engages in. The hazards and harm will outweigh the golden-brown look I try so hard to achieve.
But a deeper aspect of our lives that shall be looked down upon is the objectifying of women. Yes, as a society we are much better allowing females to do things. We are mostly ok with women "leaving the kitchen." But there still is an underlying difference between the two sexes, something just doesn't quite seem perfectly "un-gender" about the world. In this future society, sure why can't a female be president? Or why not let women make as much as men (I think the men's dollar is still a little bigger than the women's)? In this future society, women can do whatever the heck they want, and be treated as complete equals. Yeah they'll still be lovely and should be treated nice, but as far as oppurtunities, they get whatever they want. Which is kinda like now. My point sucks.
Damn, I should have added this to my last post but there was this movie I saw a while ago that took place in the future and in the film, the world was filled with a plethora of sexually transmitted diseases and people were also afraid of the germs and bacteria from kissing so basically physical intimacy between people was out. Children were created in labs and there was no touchy touchy. Yes I just said touch touchy. Sex was thought of as a primal and base act and intimacy was "inefficient".
If anyone knows the name of the movie I would be grateful.
Norbert
Period 6
I think our future generations will look at things from a personal perspective. Some people may see some act as a SIN, as the other people may see the same act as "no big deal." One may find that eating fish is a sin, and another may find it perfectly fine. But really i think the big sin of the future, and even now is just human nature in general. Everything humans do will ultimately lead to sin. Even if religion is taken out of society, people will still form tribes and have different views of sin, and thats just human nature. Its almost as if humans are destine to SIN.
Philip Lucas
Per.4
In the future I feel our treatment of artificial inteligence will be considered sinful. In the very near future we will have robots introduced into our society, and they will be treated only as machines. They will be workers,and people will act condescending towards them, swear at them, and maybe even beat them. (We will act similar to Will Smith in IRobot). After years of oppresion the robots will overcome their abusive treatment and become one with man. The people will then look at how we've treated robots over time and consider their behavior sinful and thoughtless. There will then be congressrobots and maybe even president robots. But they will still complain that the average robot does not make the same wages as the average human. Fortunately we will not have to worry about this thanks to global warming and the Apocalypse.
Paul Testa
period 4
In the future I think society will be less concerned with "looking good". Not just physically but mentally. I think now people do things in the privacy of their own homes that they'd be ashamed to say in public from fear of being isolated from the rest of society. I'm not saying that we should get rid of privacy because everyone just needs their space, but I think privacy stemming from shame will eventually be eliminated. In the past people were ashamed of their sexuality or a disobedient child or a pregnancy our of wedlock. All of these things for the most part have dwindled down to the norm. It's no longer unacceptable to be gay, or have a baby out of wedlock or even to have a child who's the biggest brat in America. I mean it still has its hardships but no ones throwing rocks at you (..or there are just less people throwing rocks..). I think eventually all these things will be so overlooked in the future and no ones going to care who makes your jeans or what college you did or didn't get into. I think future generations will have less to hide. Eventually we'll all realize how much these things don't matter and we'll learn to actually enjoy life and not just LOOK like we're enjoying it.
Samantha Canez
Per 4
I think in the future people will look down strongly on excessive weight loss in people who are not over weight. Being in wrestling I know a lot of ways to loose weight and some of them are pretty disgusting. I have pretty much ruined my stomach from odd dieting techniques and i think that the people of the future will realize there is no reason to deprive your body of the nutrients it needs. I also believe that people will eat healthier in the future and not have such an obesity problem. Eating at McDonalds could be looked down on in the future because there is no nutritional value in their food.
Sami Gross Per4
Two things that stick out in my mind of being future sins are selling cigarettes and owning a gun. In my opnion, no good things come out of smoking. It smells bad, is not good for the environment and furthermore, is bad for the body. Many people die every year from smoking related diseases. I think Dante would think of smokers as The Suicides, because that is exactly smoking does.Smokers kill themselves over their addiction, and I think in Dante's eyes, that would be a sin.
Owning a gun might also be considered a sin in the future. Though guns are often used for protection and security, they often times end up being used in cold blood. Also, guns are used for hunting, which in the future could possibly be outlawed because of all of the animal rights activism that occurs. It might be beneficial to our society if in the future these two things were outlawed.
Carly Lepp
Period 6
4/2/07
I agree with what The Son Of Odin said about implants and surgery that fix things around people's faces. Another type of thing i believe might be considered sinful is probably body piercings. I dont know if it was in the bible or somewhere but your body is supposed to be sacred. Modifying your body is considered a sin.For God is supposed to live in ur body and if you desacrate your body then it is sinful. I believe that these things will be considered sinful in the future, but who knows.
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Adrian V.
Period 6
E=mc²
masha telishevsky period 6
i think that our habit of having uber expensive cars like maybach or ferrari might be frowned upon the future generations as a sin of pride. same goes for gloating over college acceptances because the way i see the future society is similar to russian socialist times in that virtually EVERYONE went to a college and paid no tuition...also our current practice of buying residences or cars (SUV's) that are too large for our true needs would be viewed as gluttonous by future generations. i also think that the future generations would view us as gluttonous and avaricious for shopping for more clothing that we essentially dont need (like a 20th pair of jeans or a 7th pair of black flip-flops)I agree with norbert about the whole plastic surgery and vegetarianism because already more and more people flock to join greenpeace and more and more vegan and vegetarian foods can be found at fast-food joints.
In the future, i believe society will look at us and be ashamed. Things that they might consider sinfull are some of the more popular music that have been taking over the music industry. They may be disgusted at the profanity and slurs. Perhaps our style of dress (ie showing off our underwear) maybe considered a sin. But the trends i see that the future will begin to consider sinfull will deal with more of the materialistic world. Thats the way society seems to be headed and the "new" sins will most likley have to deal with that nature. Perhaps some of the content of our reality shows will be considered "sinful" (even though many consider them sinfull already).
--Happy Passover
Heather Gossler
Pd. 4
In the future anything is possible. You never know what people might invent or change. So to me daily walking and talking could be seen as a sin. Some topics we discuss in class could be seen as sinful. The ways of teenagers, although it is seen as sinful today, could be worsened. The way we dance, the things we discuss, and the games we play, and other ways we occupy time that we could spend being far more productive. The consumption of meat and animal products could be considered a sin. Slavery was brought up and I know people have mentioned the sexism toward women, I can also see a future where roles are reversed and women are seen as better than men. Like I said anything is possible. I can also see a world where going to school is unheard of, with all the information you need to know for what you are going to be is implanted at birth, we’ve all seen movies that depict what might happen in the future, robots taking over cities and killing us all. Due to that I believe that the human race can, or better yet should, only achieve so much success and advancement, or we could make ourselves obsolete. The world as we know it today is changing, our children will not grow up in the world we did, and our great great great great great grandchildren won’t even know who we are or who Paris Hilton was. Of course this is all taking in to account that God doesn’t just decide to start over and kill us all like he did with the dinosaurs.
In the future their will be the same number of sins and things looked down upon. This is because with each generation people become used to things that were previously unacceptable, but as this happens new techonolgy and things are invented and they come with a new list of things looked down upon. Unlike Norbert, I think the next couple of generations will perfect the so callled art of plastic surgery and it will be more common and therefore less looked down upon. I think, at least for most women, they talk dowm upom plastic surgery because they can't get it. Thats just how girls are-if they cant have, they talk trash about it.
Another thing I think is that sex in general (in tv shows/advertising/movies) will be more liberal and seen in the U.S.-like it is in Europe, but it will definately be different though out the U.S.
Major sins will remain the same.
haha norbert said touchy touchy
oh and i agree mostly with what sam canez per.4 said
Lacey Thompson
Period 6
Brad Goran-- Period 6
Ok, time to unleash my inner nerd. When I thought about this question, the first thing that popped into my head was Star Trek. Now to sum the story up in short, about 50 years from now the Earth launches in a global nuclear war which puts the world into a total depression. Yet soon after this tragedy someone builds a spaceship which is seen by an extraterrestrial. The aliens come to Earth, and the fact that we are not alone unifies humanity in a way never thought possible. Star Trek brings up a very good point, which is that humans have a very strong arrogance about themselves, thinking that the universe is centered around them. At one point, we will lose this egocentric view when we discover that we are just a piece in the puzzle, and not necessarily the most important or biggest piece either. Perhaps the best quote supporting this stance can be found at this website: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pale_blue_dot.
It's just a matter of time before we unify as not a country or a society, but as human beings exploring our true potential.
By the way Norbert, the movie you were thinking of was Demolition Man... I think.
Michael Ashoori
Period-4
I believe that the number one sin that is overlooked today and will be considered a sin in the future is wasting. So many people today waste and it is hardly noticed. The biggest form of wasting that is so widely unrecognized in my opinion is the wasting of gasoline. Many people in today’s society drive large SUV'S that serve no purpose in their lifestyle's but instead are purchased and driven for their looks. I think that in the future driving such big SUV's which serve no purpose will not exist as much as it does today. I think that in the future people will drive cars that better suit there needs as opposed to their wants especially when the recourses used to drive these vehicles begin to minimize in quantity.
I think that in the future probably, hopefully will see all the evil things we see as ok will be considered sinfull in the future, things like rap, abortion, and as the person before me said prosthetic surgery and hopefully our society will still see things
illegal drugs and steroids as a bad
thing and and people will understand the sin of things like
seperation of church and state.
-David Bet-shmuel
period 4
Personally some of the stuff that is considered today to be normal will be a sin in the future. You know how there was only 1 general aspect in which humans could sin in the 1700's? That being human life in general? Well technology now plays a factor in human life. So that can be a sub-category of sin. To me there is so much that one can do wrong on the internet that you can have the numbers just piling up on you. What does that mean? Slander, personifying the human body as a sex objects like in Victoria Secret and porno websites, racism, and to a certain extent disobeying law. There is so much stuff you can say and do on the internet and get away with it. Telling people on a forum or chat that they are going to be killed, or saying a racial slur to someone. Those are what I think people are going to look at with sins in the future. Technology plays a huge part in our lives today, and it will so even more in the future even on the bad parts of life.
-Russell Tuchman
-Per. 4
So like, I totally agree with Carly's idea that smoking will be one of those future sins. The people that are smoking are harming not only themselves, but the environment and the people around them. I think that smoking is not only like commiting suicide, but homocide because they are killing other living things.
A sin I think will be known as sinful in the future and that I already think is a sin is the use of animals for play or something along those lines. I hate those horse racing things and the bull fighting and etc. But, a lot of people enjoy it and I think because these animals are being harmed, everybody will recognize that what they are doing to the animals is a sin and it will not happen anymore.
Dani Schwartz
Period 6
Definetly reality tv. I think people of the future would wonder how we thought that as "good" entertainment. Consider us aweful for finding joy in watching celebrity show-downs, the wealthy wasting their wealth, disgustingly rich 16 year olds being spoiled, roommates fighting, and just the fact that we are wasting our own lives into watching their lives. Sinful? I think so. It is kind'a like how we find entertainment in their pain and/or mere ridiculous mannerisms. Kind'a like youtube. How we laugh at the little clips of painful instances. hahaha...i.e: "owned" movie clips. Hilarious now...sinful in the future.
Ariyani Wray
Per. 6
I really hope that this excessive partying fad comes to an end. Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan, and Paris Hilton are walking sins. We can only learn how to flash our "danger zones" from them. Here's another commandment to add: Thou shalt not flash.
After looking at what my fellow students said, we all seem to agree that what ever we see in Hollywood is a sin. So, I guess you could say that Hollywood is a cult, and God should smite all those that show reproductive systems to the public.
The worst part is, I think our society is only going to get worse
Jenny La Van
Period 6
PS. Passover was good
I think that in the future there will be many things that we do that others feel are odd. I think the way our society abuses garbage and recycling will be something that will be looked at. The way we try to bury our trash will always be looked at as wrong as well. Hopefully occasional drug use will be look at as horrible in the future and people will be completely opposed to it. People may also consider extreme surgeries to alter appearance barbaric and tampering with God's creation of man. Overall, I'm sure that there will be many things later on that people feel are barbaric and decadent.
Adam Alper Per. 6
I believe that super models will get there own circle of hell just to themselves. In a century or two, people will look at them and say, "People wanted to be like THEM?!" I also believe that people will look down on the pornography business with disgust. They will probably have less of a punishment than the super models though. The people who will probably explode in hell will be the alcohol/gun/tobacco lobbyists a la "Thank You For Smoking." There names will be mentioned right along with Hitler, Satan, and Ben Sheets.
Adam Jacobs
Per. 6
4/2/07
Assuming our planet survives long enough for such a change to occur I think "sin" will be outdated. Someone will find something that someone does at some point sinful. I think sin is a personal thing. I said before that its only sin if you believe it is and I still hold my position on that. Just because it’s not a sin though doesn't mean it’s not wrong, so just because you don't think murder is a sin doesn't mean you can kill everyone. You can if you want, but you will be punished by society in someway, but you won’t go to hell so to speak, because what if you don't believe in hell it’s hard to go to an ideological place if you don't believe in it. I believe in survival of the fittest, because if you don't do whatever you can to survive, whatever the means, someone else will and they will watch you wither away. To sum it up...I pretty much think that people of the future will think the connotation of sin is sinful. Also peoples ignorance of others beliefs or cultures.
ßrian H
Per.6
First of all, I would like to congratulate paul on another great name. He deserves kudos mr. godburn!
I feel that in the past 100 years, we have definately had the most radical generations. He have gone to NEW levels to have fun and to enjoy life. But many of our new rules and wants are going to far, even though we know they will be frowned upon in the future.
The major thing that comes to my mind when I think about ours sins and what the future will think is LAS VEGAS. All sins are seen there. Gluttony - nothing but buffets and drinking, greed - gambling, lust - strip bars and hookers, also envy, pride, wrath, and sloth. Other things that could be frowned upon are: wars in the middle east, genocides, celebrities in the media, the Salem witch trials, and racism. A couple other major topics that may sound silly are rap music and pornography. People may find it funny and amusing now,o but seriously, it will be frowned upon.
We will be known as the "era of partying too much" and we will look completely barbaric and decadent compared to other time periods.
Shane Z
Period 4
I agree with most of the things said on peoples blogs body augmentations, smoking, eating habits. I personally think that tv watching in excess would be considered sinful. Those people who are total couch potatoes are in a few years going to be looked upon as sinners. Like it was mentioned before about eating habits that kinda goes along with being a couch potatoe and not working out and taking care of yourself. I think that knowadays everything is about self image and the sin for future generations will be opposite. For instance it is good to go work out and eat healthy. Or it might be that those who do not take care of themselves are going to be looked upon as sinners cause everyone in the future will be super healthy.
Laura Lascoe
Period 6
Whenever I think about the future and what people in the future will think of us, I can't help but think about the current treatment of homosexuals.
This country used to be largely segregated racially, and it was accepted and enforced with little questioning. We now think of this practice as evil and backwards. Women were also subordinate to men, which is now considered sexist and those who practiced this racism and sexism are now seen as barbaric and backwards.
We're doing the exact same thing to homosexuals in this country and it's absolutely disgusting. To deny the right of marriage to a human being is no different than denying his or her right to attend public school or drink from certain drinking fountains. That same segregation for which we now give ourselves a pat-on-the-back for having defeated is still practiced. It's like we need to wait for these closed-minded, hateful neocons to just die out so we can move closer to actually being a civilized society.
But stepping off the soapbox, I'd say a future sin will be prejudice. Those who hate others for petty reasons like race, gender, creed, and sexuality will be seen, rightfully so, as backwards jingoistic xenophobes.
Well, even back when slavery was aloud and not disputed, there were always a minority who opposed it. Not just the slaves themselves. Its all about those minority’s eventually getting their voice heard. Here I’ll put it in today’s terms. Gay Marriage. I would say nation wide majority of the country is against gay marriage. But there is a minority that disagrees. So once that minority gets their voices heard and proves that the majority is full of it, soon the majority of the country would be for gay marriage.
-Sam Baloff Per. 4
P.S. Go Gators!!!!!!! Two years back-to-back baby!!!!!!
The biggest example of something that will be considered a sin in the future for me is the persecution of woman. Although it is frowned upon in society already, it is not considered a sin. Men clearly have an advantage over women in society. It seems like women have to work twice as hard to reach the top. I know it sames lame coming from a woman and Im not one of those womans rights fanatics but I think a much keener perception of equality will be exercised in the future. Further to that, I think all persecution of any people will be considered a sin.
Personally, I agree with almost everyones opinions. Like Jenny said, it seems to be a Hollywood trend. Most of the things going on in Hollywood now may be considered sins in the future. I think the media has a lot to do with all the "Hollywoodesque" behavior that takes place. To be perfectly honest, I think of people took a step back and actually looked at some of the stuff that takes place, they would think it was a sin now not just perhaps in the future.
Tori Cusick
Period 4
Mariam Yeganeh
Period 4
I believe many things will become sins in the future...
the world is always changin and things that are considered ok or good now will be noticed as sinfull in the future.
the main thing that popped out to me is talkin crap about people...
many people these days talk badly about eachother to either make themselves feel better or get someone else against that person.
and its become such a natural thing to many people.
but i believe in the future it will become noticed as something really bad and become a sin.
the reason i believe it is a sin is because talking badly the way people do these days is done with very bad intentions.
and most sins are actions with bad intentions.
see you tommarrow :D
What practices (rituals, policies, activities, forms of leisure) do we engage in as a society today that will be condemned, as sins, by future generations? In other words, what do we do today that future generations will call decadent and barbaric?
I see a somewhat distant future as a move towards extreme environmentalism. Our wastefulness, our disregard and corruption of natural resources and the earth's natural landscapes, and our token attempts at improving the situation will be viewed as stupid, barbaric, and obscene. The trend has already started, since Teddy Roosevelt's reforms in the early 1900s. The slow pace of progressive reform, however, will grow exponentially in the future as the natural balance and the few remaining wildlife preserves wilt away. This also touches on the middle to upper class lifestyle of many Americans. Perhaps the materialism and consumerism built into our capitalist society will be considered sinful, as well. I'd like to say I have a optimistic view of the future, and although I really do love society's indulgences and dog-eat-dog economics, future humans will look down upon us with outrage and disgust. Hey, maybe all countries will become some awesomely sensational alternative to our current and soon-to-be "sinful" forms of government.
Alex Ringe
Period 6
Maybe people in the future will be able to read other peoples thoughts through some weird device, that would be a sin in it’s self , but what I’m getting to here is peoples thoughts, many thoughts could be considered sinful, such as thoughts of racism, sexism, wanting harm to others, and just plain evil thoughts. Also wasting ones time is to me an even worse waste of gods Gifts; god supposedly gave us life and in that he gave us time, lots and lots of time to spend however we want, I believe that wasting ones time should be and might become considered a sin, anything that is not educational, beneficial ones health, or helpful to others should be categorized as this, and should be punishable.
Hannah Kaufman Per.6
Wassup G-bizzle.
Alright so here are a few things that come to mind when asked this question:
1) being obese
2) stocks and stock market
3) plastic surgery
4) pornography
This is a really interesting topic because it forced me to think, what am I doing now that will be a sin later. It also ventures into the last blog as to what I think a sin really is because if i dont know what it is, how will I know if it is a sin? All together, there are many things in society right now that are just "accepted", but in the future, I believe they will be frowned upon and maybe be an addition to the circles of HELL
Miles Silverstein
Period 4
Post time 10:52 exactly, so there G-BURN!
k bye
I think a lot of what we do to our environment will be looked at as barbaric, as its what we live off of and can't live without it. I dont think our greed will change, yet i think the way we look at things will be different. We will still slaughter many animals just because they taste good, but we will be sure not to wipe out a species in the process. The same goes for rain forests and all else that we use in our environment. We only have 3 options after all: find new planets to live from, keep our planet from going to hell (maybe literally), or die as a species...
-Casey Covello
I think that in the future there will be all sorts of things that we currently do that will be looked down upon or condemned for in the future. I believe the wealth that seems to be the "want" of so many today will be sinful, and its not the idea of having money, but its the idea of flaunting it about as if there is some sort of unspoken competition in seeing whose car is the nicest or who have the finest jewelry. I'm sure there are many things that we do that will be sinful acts in the future, but I believe the flaunting or your wealth will be one.
Landon Ball
Period # 4
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