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Old 2012-11-10, 10:36   Link #72
TinyRedLeaf
Moving in circles
 
 
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Singapore
Age: 49
Quote:
Originally Posted by garbage View Post
for Rousseau simplified : Masaoka is explaining that humans are social animals as in they gather together. That the development of technologies basically strengthens this social bonding ie. mail, telephone, media etc. it brings people together. At the end he questions "Does the internet do the same?" in contrast to other technologies it seems the internet instead of bringing people together tears them apart (a shout out to the hikikomori phenomenon), especially with the popular usage of AVATARS and "ANONYMOUS" tags which hides people true identity.that's why he said he cant relate/understand.
The reference to Jean-Jacques Rousseau and his Discourse on the Origin of Inequality is much more ironic than that.

I've never read Rousseau, and am aware of him only by reputation — he was opposed to Thomas Hobbes' cynical view of human nature. Hobbes famously wrote that "the life of man is solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short". He believed that if men were to be left to their own devices, they would eventually revert to their barbaric nature and fall into never-ending conflict with one another.

Hobbes subsequently believed that a strong, moral society is needed to control the base nature of humanity.

Rousseau believed the exact opposite — he insisted that human nature is intrinsically good and that it's civilisation which corrupts humanity. Rousseau proposed the idea of the "noble savage", that is, the ideal, self-sufficient man who lives on his own, and in harmony with Nature. The moment people start to form communities, inequality would arise, as stronger men would naturally seek to dominate those who are weaker than them.

So, the irony Masaoka implied in this episode is actually two-fold. He observed that virtual social networks, unlike other communication tools, were isolating people in real life rather than strengthening their social bonds. At the same time, he was wryly amused that this very isolation was in keeping with Rousseau's call to reject society and return to self-sufficient solitude.

Mido's last words appear to support my analysis:
"You guys (the avatars) are eternal. You have been released from the chains of a physical body and polished by collective intelligence... No one can look down on you. I won't let anyone destroy your nobility."
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