What is the central factor regarding the fact that we humans are irresponsible?

Question

We have police, governments, and soldiers. Rules and laws.
Common-sense is not common is it? Therefore it has to be enforced.
Why?

If you answer 'selfishness or 'greed' what then is behind these imposters?

Answer 1

Great Question!

It is under my belief that the central factor[s] for the fact that we as humans are largely irresponsible are as follows:

1] When we evaluate others according to our own beliefs, particularly on what is deemed responsible or not responsible, there will always be some subset of humans that will categorize other individuals as irresponsible. Even when the majority of the population’s beliefs are enforced as rules there will still be subsets of humans that will disagree. Consider the simple fact that we all possess varying degrees and interpretations on what exactly responsibility means. No matter what the central factor[s] of causation may be.

2] Police, Governments, Soldiers, Rules and Laws. All correlate, in some way or another, as instruments of control.

3] Instruments of control seem to be in conflict with free will.
Free Will: the power of making free choices unconstrained by external agencies.

4] Common-sense is often defined as: sound practical judgment that is independent of specialized knowledge, training, or the like; normal native intelligence.

However, I do not agree with this explanation. Common-sense perhaps should not be defined as “normal native intelligence” due to the fact that I believe that common-sense correlates more so with human experience. Common-sense isn’t instinctual like breathing is …it is more so learned behavior gathered via certain events within human experiences.

I don’t believe that common-sense is what is intended to be enforced by police, governments, soldiers, rules and laws. But rather that human behavior and our actions are what those forces aim to control.

5] Irresponsible: said, done, or characterized by a lack of a sense of responsibility

Irresponsibility will always exist due to these facts:
a.Everyone has a different interpretation on what exactly makes up a responsible individual. One person’s refusal to work may be viewed as irresponsible while to that individual it may be deemed as a necessary step towards spiritual growth.

b.There will always be those that are not capable and/or qualified in becoming responsible individuals. Factors such as: age, circumstances, mental deficiency, etc. can impact a person’s ability in becoming a “responsible” person.

c.Lack of concern/care for the consequences of one’s actions. Some individuals just do not care about what will happen to others while pursuing their own goals in life. Furthermore, some individuals do not care about the consequences that will befall upon their own selves.

If we were to ask the entire world what exactly does it mean to be responsible? [The answers would all drastically vary according to each individual’s interpretations and experiences in life].

Therefore, I would say that the main factor regarding why we as humans are irresponsible is due to the fact that no matter how our rules and laws are decided upon there will never be one absolute mode/definition on what is to be considered “responsible”.

Thanks for such a wonderful mental jog this morning.
SassafrassWinter

Answer 2

I find people are responsible to the degree they feel it makes a difference or matters to someone, whether themselves or someone else. When we feel an action does not matter either way, we will act as convenient. So the problem is when people feel it doesn't matter anyway, they may act irresponsibly.

However, if someone shows us otherwise and contradicts our intended thought or action, we "respond" by either avoiding the conflict, accommodating the other, competing against, or collaborating with, whichever appears to solve the problem best. Basically humans operate out of seeking satisfaction and pleasure while avoiding suffering or pain; so this logic applies to all our decisions to the best of our knowledge and ability.

As for enforcing laws, the point of social contracts is to communicate what the agreed standards are and to correct any current, past or potential trespass. For good examples of these, which I would use to establish a common standard policy that citizens and governments could police as equals, please
see "Code of Ethics for Government Service" http://www.houstonprogressive.org/ethics.html and also
the Bill of Rights plus Amendment 14 on equal protection.

The only way I know to establish equal protection is to arm all citizens with knowledge of written laws, and created equal access to means of due process and mediation where citizens and governments and corporations can petition as equals.

Otherwise, you get the gross imbalance of power that leaves people thinking that what individuals say or do does not matter anyway, so that irresponsible behavior continues unchecked.

http://www.houstonprogressive.org/isocracy.html

Answer 3

We fool ourselves into thinking that we can govern ourselves sensibly. But no one has the genuine authority to create laws and then force others to obey them. We all enjoy certain freedoms - which is why to a certain extent Democracy seems to work more than any other type of human government - but those freedoms come with a price for ourselves and everyone else.

It can also be very difficult to obey some laws. For instance, speed limits while driving can be difficult to maintain for some.

Motivation to commit crime can over-ride civil obedience. Concern for the welfare of ourselves and our families can over-ride all other concerns, including that of our communities and our environment. Yes, we need laws, and yes, many are obedient to them. Many are also disobedient, even though some get caught and punished. However, the presence of law and order has never stopped disobedience.

So, the central factor in our irresponsibility would perhaps be another (two-sided)question: How does genuine authority come about and hown do we get people to willingly obey the law?

The answer is for us all to submit to an authority which is so great that even the most powerful human alive would not dare to disobey it. This necessitates a non-human government, which is God's Kingdom.

Answer 4

Humans are programmed to be inquisitive, to play, to experiment. We seek out new experiences. But we also live in a society. And for society to work, it requires us to conform to at least a minimum number of 'rules'.

Irresponsibility is just a mild form of rebelling, either by intention or by our occasionally forgetting a rule. We go for a walk on a sunny day but it is only 'irresponsible' if we are meant to be at work, or looking after our kids etc...

So in effect, society makes us irresponsible since without the 'rules' our behaviour would have no significance. But since for most of us life would be far less pleasant without society and all it's trappings we go along with it all. Until we remember once again that it's fun to rebel at times.

Answer 5

Because we are far from perfect, only someone/something that is perfect can be totally responsible ALL of the time! We act on impulse as is our nature and this can sometimes lead to consequences to our actions.

Common sense is something that we are (most of us) born with, e.g. we know that if we jump off a very high cliff edge, we will either die or get hurt, but some people still do silly things, to push the boundaries.

Common sense should be taught at school!

Answer 6

Greed, selfishness, natural desire, lack of motivation, immaturity.

What hides behind THESE imposters? Well, simply human nature. We are made to desire and when we are shallow or weak enough to let our desires rule us, we cannot perform our roles logically anymore, therefore we become irresponsible. If we are motivated enough by a purpose though, we strengthen ourselves.

Answer 7

The whole history of the human race has covered every vice know, whereon the names of genuinely good people you could put in a small book . So the human race has to police its self
or would drown in its own filth and coruption, as it is now doing in Zimbabe

Answer 8

there is no such project as "optimal" in evolutionary theory. the idea of a few thing being "extra" advanced than some thing else is inaccurate, and erroneously imparts both course and objective to a organic and organic procedure. each and every living organism in the global is only as advanced as the different living organism. it is only that they have advanced to evolve to diverse environmental situations. If selective pressures on human populations favour particular features - in spite of they are - then the human race will surely replace to duplicate those selective pressures. there is no thanks to foretell, although, what form those adjustments will take without understanding what the selective pressures are.

Answer 9

If man had behaved in responsible way he would not have destroyed and keep destroying natures gifts for selfish ends.
He is wasting natural resources and creating artificial things which are of no use to him ultimately.This is even done in the name of scientific and medical research. The old philosophers are considered as fools and new fools are considered to be intelligent.

Answer 10

The central factor is that we don't see into the realities and don't tie us to beliefs that make us responsible. Police, governments, and soldiers, rules and laws etc. can't bring responsibility.

Responsibility is self imposed state of mind....OK