I have been thinking of what “making the world a better place” means. We aspire to that, but lack of a proper definition does not help – I obviously don’t hope to find a definition that everyone will agree with, but having one for myself would be a good start.
I subscribe to a world with the following characteristics : freedom from dogma, equal access for everyone to opportunities to improve their lives, focus on scientific progress …
Some of these ideas are as fundamental as freedom of religion (or of having no religion), belief that humans are fundamentally all equal in rights (and that any differences we make between various groups are mostly a reflection of our tendency for tribal behaviors) – and by fundamental beliefs I mean that I will have no respect for, and will fight if required, people who uphold the opposite beliefs (fundamentalism, racism …). But some other beliefs are very personal and I don’t expect others to be of the same mind (by which I guess I mean that I will respect other points of view) : belief that a secular society is better for everyone, that technological progress can and will generally be used for the overall good of people…
I just read the declaration of human rights. It is a good start, but it is extremely vague when it comes to defining socially acceptable behaviors. And it defines lofty goals for social support to individuals that are extremely difficult to define in practical terms, and different societies at different stages of development, or with different social beliefs, will need different rules there.
Does this require a new kind of social contract ?