The dangers of collectivizing groups of people is never immediately apparent until one is in dire need of the help of individuals. Every moment of every day we are making decisions according to the information presented to us. Sometimes it is necessary to make decisions based on a quick assessment of the situation. Sometimes this assessment is based on sketchy details, previous beliefs, and previous experiences. This is called Heuristics and one must take care when to employ it. Quick assessments may prove to be beneficial when dealing with inanimate objects such as choosing what to eat for dinner, choosing what clothes to buy, choosing what car to buy, choosing what house to rent/buy etc. When applied to human beings this quick assessment may prove rash.
Unlike inanimate objects human beings have needs, wants and desires that vary based on gender, ethnicity, religion, culture, race, creed, and the individual. The same individual’s desires can change based on the year, month, week, and even day in question. After knowing an individual for a long period of time one may make certain general predictions based on previous behavioral patterns but even this may be risky.
Not only is it insurmountably difficult to thoroughly know another person, it is likewise quite difficult to fully know oneself. One is born and lives everyday in this human shell but that does not mean we are all masters of ourselves nor do we fully possess self knowledge.
Every day we are all incessantly learning about ourselves, others, and the world around us. This is exactly why one can never legitimately impose one’s beliefs onto another. It is impossible to have all the information. The future is both unknown and unknowable. The only way to act with moral consistency is to live and let live. Civilization is for the civilized.
“Man as an individual is a genius. But men in the mass form the headless monster, a great, brutish idiot that goes where prodded.” – Charlie Chaplin.