this post was submitted on 07 Nov 2024
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Showerthoughts

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A "Showerthought" is a simple term used to describe the thoughts that pop into your head while you're doing everyday things like taking a shower, driving, or just daydreaming. The most popular seem to be lighthearted, clever little truths, hidden in daily life.

Here are some examples to inspire your own showerthoughts: 1

Rules

  1. All posts must be showerthoughts
  2. The entire showerthought must be in the title
  3. No politics
    • If your topic is in a grey area, please phrase it to emphasize the fascinating aspects, not the dramatic aspects. You can do this by avoiding overly politicized terms such as "capitalism" and "communism". If you must make comparisons, you can say something is different without saying something is better/worse.
    • A good place for politics is c/politicaldiscussion
    • If you feel strongly that you want politics back, please volunteer as a mod.
  4. Posts must be original/unique
  5. Adhere to Lemmy's Code of Conduct

If you made it this far, showerthoughts is accepting new mods. This community is generally tame so its not a lot of work, but having a few more mods would help reports get addressed a little sooner.

Whats it like to be a mod? Reports just show up as messages in your Lemmy inbox, and if a different mod has already addressed the report the message goes away and you never worry about it.

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[–] scarabic 2 points 2 months ago (1 children)

I agree with your more sensible definition but it is a slippery concept.

It’s a bit ambiguous what it means to say:

unless it’s Utopia for everyone

Is it Utopia “for” someone if it isn’t their idea of Utopia? Seems like you are saying yes.

But if yes, then as long as current conditions meet anyone’s definition of utopia, then we’re all living in one.

Which brings us back to the OP.

[–] FooBarrington 2 points 2 months ago (1 children)

But if yes, then as long as current conditions meet anyone’s definition of utopia, then we’re all living in one.

No, Utopia has a defined set of meanings. If current conditions meet someone's definition of Utopia, but doesn't meet the defined set of meanings, it doesn't mean current conditions are Utopia.

[–] scarabic 2 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (1 children)

Where exactly is this defined meaning?

utopia (noun) an imagined place or state of things in which everything is perfect.

According to Oxford Languages it is very much in the eye of the beholder and not objectively defined.

[–] FooBarrington 1 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Let's go with the Cambridge definition:

a perfect society in which people work well with each other and are happy

The Oxford Languages definition is incomplete enough to not be a valid counter argument - "perfect" doesn't mean everyone 100% gets what they want. The only sensible interpretation is "perfect" from a societal perspective.

[–] scarabic 1 points 2 months ago

Well we may just have to disagree. Even your definition requires that everyone be happy, and cooperating. I think that goes against your earlier contention that regardless of what people want, utopia has an objective definition.

It is what people want it to be, and people want different things.