h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

The 'just world fallacy' is the belief that the world/universe is essentially just: people get what they deserve. Sounds nice ... except that an implication of this is that people to whom bad things happen, must have deserved those bad things.

There is a paradox that I think I've noticed. We are supposed to believe in justice, so we are supposed to do what we can to make the world more just. But the more just the world is, the more we think people deserve what they get. So: if we actually make the world more just ... does that cause the just world fallacy to become stronger, or weaker?

I think that when Jesus said DON'T jUDGE he meant that SERIOUSLY. He certainly did not feel that the world was just as it certainly was not created as God had intended it to be. Therefore you cannot hold people responsible for the accidents of their circumstances. (Where they born,what the social strata their family occupied, how their parents brought them up,etc.) Given that that's the case, who can judge another person? Everyone has wants and desires that perhaps SHOULD not be translated into behaviour. You really shouldn't deny anyone else their ability to act or their opinions. You need to act responsible for your neighbours and THAT is what God expects. God's law supercedes man's law and that is the problem with gov'ts imposing unjust laws and creating priveleges that some people are more entitled than others. Naturally the priveleged classes can't see how sharing the agency and franchise with their neighbours doesn't necessarily take anything AWAY from themselves. WIN-WIN strategies help EVERYONE. bUT THOSE who already have everything they want are greedy and selfish and DO NOT WANT TO SHARE. That is the problem. God has his own ideas concerning the way he wants everything to play out and the more people respond to life his way the more everybody will have more.

heheh you've got me googling 'just world fallacy' at 3 am, Willem, . Which shows that my sleeping patterns have gone weird, and also that your subject matter is interesting, and not something I've heard of before.

Not that I have any answers, of course. In fact, it seems totally confusing and paradoxical. . I understand the paradox that you present. Hmm, erm...

The 'you get what you deserve' idea doesn't sound very just to me. In fact it sounds completely scary and unjust, so I find the idea of the 'just world fallacy' a bit paradoxical.

It's a vast subject, and, being me, I'm probably missing the point. , so in these instances I have to keep it personal, as I have no answers for anyone else.

I try to practice personal responsibility in my own life, because it just seems to be a natural and workable way to go.

And I'll get what I deserve if I've been completely mean and cruel and nasty to everybody, because they'll get back at me.

But, as for the random events. Well, a friend of mine, who is a lovely and beautiful person, has just been diagnosed with an awful disease, and if I went up to her and said 'you get what you deserve' I would consider myself to be the creepiest person on earth, and very unjust.

And if the same circumstances should come to me, and someone said that I'd got what I deserve, I'd biff them.

hmm. I'm being a bit basic here. . I think I'm at odds with the 'just world fallacy', but hopefully my attempts at personal responsibility will help me to be a just and fair person. Therefore I would have to reject the 'just world fallacy' because I think it's unjust.

So, in answer to your question, if I try to become a more just person, or try to help with creating a more just world, I think the 'just world fallacy' would become weaker.

I have no idea what I'm on about, and I'm not speaking for others. I'm just thinking in type, at 3 am, which isn't a good idea, and yet it was good to think about it.

Interesting subject, Willem.

Hi Elektra and Cactuscafé! My own position is generosity: which means ... be slow to judge negatively, be quick to judge positively. Be quick to praise someone for doing something good, be slow to blame someone for doing something bad. Believe people deserve the good that comes to them, but not the bad. Be gracious even to your worst enemy. Hear people out. Don't walk over anyone, as if they didn't exist. Give people a chance. Win people over not by condemning them but by inspiring them. Be willing to revise your opinion of people in their favour.

BUT ... sometimes we have to do something about bad things. Sometimes a person who does harm to others need to be stopped.

I really do sometimes wish that some people would get what they deserve ... in a bad sense. Not forever, just for long enough to give them a clue about what they are doing to other people. Over here ... warlords and corrupt politicians ... I sometimes wish that they would 'get what they deserve' instead of coming out smiling on top after all the killing and destruction done on their behalf. I really wish that they would end up with consciences plaguing them, unable to sleep peacefully, if they realized what they'd actually done ... suffer torments like the MacBeths. But it seems many of them have no idea, they don't worry for a minute about the harm they've done, it's all laughs and champagne for them. But to get them in that nice place so many people had to die...

Hullo folks, me darlin's!

Interesting to hear your takes on this subject.

Yes, I know what you mean, Willem, about those who wreak havoc and have no remorse. And everyone else has to suffer as a result of the mess they have left behind.

It makes me cry so much, sometimes I feel I can't deal with the pain of the world.

I used to have a half hope that there might be a fruitful afterlife, or a reincarnation process, so that there's more time to sort these things out, like a soul journey that extends beyond our allocated lifespan, that leads to healing, forgiveness, renewal.

Or even a compassionate cosmic overseer, who can see the greater picture, and help us sort all these things out. I'd like that.

However, these days I don't really think so much about things like that. Perhaps there will always be people who don't give a toss, and I don't know what to do about it. I guess they deserve compassion, because they're obviously lost on the track, but most of the time I feel too hurt and angry to give it.

That's where my wise cosmic overseer would be helpful, because I'm lost on this part of the track also.

It's not all bad, though, is it. There's always balance, and miracles, and mystery, and there are still wondrous and hopeful happenings in the world.

I've been thinking about the Easter story, the mix of fact and mythology. How this totally far out cosmic New Age bloke .... ,

What???. . Forgive the digression. We used to live with this guy who was a hippie Londoner. He was a very amazing person, heart of gold. He'd go on about having to do his bleedin' yoga, and he always referred to Jesus as a totally far out cosmic New Age bloke.

Anyway, I've been thinking about how the Easter story seems quite relevant to the things we're thinking about here, how Jesus was brutally tortured and killed just for suggesting that people love their neighbour as themselves, that they might look within and heal themselves rather than taking it all out on the next person.

Seems to me that nothing much has changed, the brutal atrocities still continue.

And then I've been thinking about another part of the story, how at the point of death, Jesus allegedly said 'Father forgive them for they know not what they do'. I used to think about that all the time. That's awesome. I don't think I could forgive my torturers, I'd really need help with that one.

And then the resurrection part of the story, a mythological symbol of new life, or whatever it means. It inspires me in some way, speaks to my heart, even though I'm not religious, and not even that adept at spiritual disciplines.

I'd love to have met the totally far out cosmic New Age bloke. I think he would have understood about how I can hardly deal with the pain of the world, with all the hatred and division.

Of course Buddha would have also understood, I'd like to have met him too. Does Buddhism have a resurrection equivalent, in the story? I think it has a message of hope, about suffering and the end of suffering.

Not a very learned posting , I wish I was a scholar in these matters, but I type from the heart.

Happy holidays

The same to you, beautiful. Be sure to check your email tomorrow.

Hi Cactuscafé and Elektra! Cactuscafé, thanks for that thoughtful piece. The way I see it - honestly: we are all part of each other, so if we wish evil upon our enemies, we're also wishing evil upon ourselves. I only want evil people to understand what harm they are causing and then to STOP. Every kind of harm we do to others ends up harming our own souls. People need to realize - in my view - that we and all living things are incredibly precious and holy.

Anyways, Buddhism ... the basic background belief is that we are all immortal anyways, but in this life we are locked into a cycle of reincarnations, every time reincarnating as something ... perhaps people, perhaps some living thing ... but we are sort of 'doomed' to keep reincarnating into the material world as flesh-and-blood beings. And this is not so good from a standpoint of suffering, because all living things suffer. Humans perhaps suffer more than anything else. Mostly humans suffer because things happen to them that they do not want. Humans want things, they have ideals, they want to experience the good and avoid the bad. The Buddha realized that the way to avoid suffering is by avoiding desire. Once you no longer desire anything specifically for yourself, you accept everything that comes your way ... you have overcome your own ego. You no longer experience things as if you were nothing more than a single living thing ... you've somehow broadened your outlook, your experience, to take in the whole. When that happens you're beyond your 'limited self', you're no longer a soul stuck in a single body, you've somehow become one with the whole. At that point you also no longer reincarnate into new, single living bodies ... you experience state called Nirvana. Some people see Nirvana as 'oblivion' but I see it as a merging with the Whole of Existence.

There's a lot of similarity between Buddhism and some Greek philosophies. My own 'religion' is mostly philosophical and based on Stoicism and is *very* similar to Buddhism.

That's really deep, Willem, thankyou for sharing the poetry of your vision.

I think Buddha was a lovely person, really caring about the quality of peoples' lives, I'd like to have had a coffee with him. .

I always imagine having a coffee with famous visionaries from history. Eeeek, what would I say? Would I be shy? heheh.

I like the Dalai Lama, he seems like a sweetie, very twinkly and kind.

Sometimes I take on too much of the horrors of the world, because I know that there's no separation, what is happening to others is happening to me also. But I think that balance is responsible, so I like to read stories of goodness, and forgiveness, and compassion, and talk to people and hear their stories, how they deal with the things that come their way. Reading Positive News in HuffPost online is great. heheh.

It keeps me in touch with my own heart. So how to deal with the things that make people crazy and harmful. eeeeek. Huge subject. I can only do my bit. I'd venture that most people are just regular, daft and wonderful humans in fact, bit of this, bit of that, I want to be like that, and we're all in it together, ahhhh love.

Although a coffee with the Buddha would be good.

You do keep me thinking about things, Willem. I appreciate it!

Thanks friend.

Hi again Cactuscafé! Glad you think this is thought-provoking. Anyways if you're with the Buddha you'd perhaps be drinking tea rather than coffee!

Have you heard the saying, 'if you meet the Buddha on the path, kill him'?

heheh ah yes of course. Tea. .

That was a book wasn't it? If you meet the Buddha on the Road ... I think it was a best selling self help book. Bit of a strange title, I always thought, not to be taken too literally.

There's a great song by Gandalf Murphy and the Slambovian Circus of Dreams, called Talkin' to the Buddha. Do you know Gandalf Murphy? He's amazing, I'd like to meet him for coffee. . .

Hi again Cactuscafé! As I understand that saying, one has to let go of all attachments. One must not become fixed on a 'teacher' or on a dogma or perhaps even on the idea of enlightenment itself.

Anyways, thanks I listened to that song! Haven't heard of Gandalf Murphy before!

Personally ... I'm not a Buddhist, though I have many similar ideas. I agree life is full of suffering but I don't think that's a big problem unless the suffering is excessive. I don't worry much about living in a body in the material world or about escaping to Nirvana. I think the physical world, even if it is an illusion, is a cool enough illusion to take seriously, and to explore and ponder!

Yes! And I'd like a coffee with you too, wise person.



My favourite Joziah Longo, AKA Gandalf Murphy, songs are Living with you is like livin' with God and Sunday in the Rain. They're both to be found on an album called Flapjacks in the Sky.

Where would we be without music? I'd be nowhere, lost. There's such a life force in music. Music, to me, is holy! Even if its not obvious holy music.

I'm about to start reciting Footnote to Howl now . (Allen Ginsberg) 'Holy! Holy! The world is holy! ...Holy the supernatural extra brilliant intelligent kindness of the soul!

Hi Cactuscafé! I will try to find those songs tomorrow. I keep my music video googling for the end of the month, because if I do it too early and can't stop myself, I am in danger of overstepping my broadband limit!

Anyways I like the surname Murphy. My own surname, 'Van der Merwe' is hard to pronounce for English speakers but it is often pronounced 'Van der Mervey'. Leading to speculation that our ancestor was half-Dutch and half-Irish, van der Murphy.

Did you also know that Murphy's Law is an actual law of physics?

For me music is also extremely spiritual and inspires me every day. I paint while listening to music, and also exercise here at home to music. I like listening to heavy metal when drawing or painting, the fast beat helps me to work rapidly! But I can't headbang too much or I'll mess up my artwork. Anyways here is for me a wonderfully spiritual metal song by cool band Norwegian band Pagan's Mind:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DgMAxb7Z0L4&feature=kp

You have to cut out the link and paste it in your browser's address line to make it work.

Wow!!!! I love love love Pagan's Mind. I'm going to order an album. I was just thinking today I need some new tracks in my shuffle. I felt a new inspiration was about to appear, the ghost of a CD hovering over my head, like a spaceship. But I didn't know what it was. Till now! Thanks Mr. Mervey!

And that's a great idea, copy paste the link into the address bar. Thanks for that.



I love the thought of you painting to a heavy metal soundtrack. Heheh, yes, don't headbang your canvas, one way to ruin a masterpiece, and get paint on your forehead.

I've heard of Murphy's Law, but I don't know what it is. Any chance of summing it up in a paragraph, like you did with the Noosphere? You are the paragraph master, the guru of the paragraph.

Hi Cactuscafé! Please check out their albums ... I don't have the first one, 'Infinity Divine', but I have the others and they're all great! Their music has lots of interesting and weird elements, such as aliens, conspiracy theories, religious ideas, all mixed together with thumping roaring metal! But they're not the heaviest, they're always still melodious and with great light and cosmic guitars and other sounds and stuff. Very complex too, not 'simple' songs, lots of stuff going on all over the place.

All right, Murphy's law: the basic law is 'When something can go wrong, it will'. There are LOTS of other similar laws but that one is the gist of it! In science it has two applications: first of all one must always be attentive of something going wrong, in experiments or in applications of science such as engineering. One must do one's best to ensure that NOTHING can go wrong ... and even then something will still go wrong! So one must be prepared for things going wrong in spite of everything done to make sure they go right.

Another application is this: given enough time OR a large enough sample, everything that can happen will happen ... including everything that can go wrong. No matter how great things are going, it's just a matter of time before something goes wrong.

Well I'll tell you more but for now, a positive spin on this, heh heh! One result of Murphy's Law is that if you put butter on a piece of toast and drop it, the toast will always fall with the buttered side down so that it can make a mess on the floor.

Another well-known law is that a cat always lands on its feet.

Combining these two phenomena is a way of building a simple levitation device. Take a cat, peanut-butter a piece of toast, and firmly stick it to the cat's back, buttered side up. Now drop the cat/toast from a height. The cat will turn so its feet point down. But now the buttered toast on its back is butter-side-up! The toast will turn so the buttered side faces down. But now the cat's feet are up in the air! So the cat will again turn so that its feet point downward which again puts the buttered side of the toast on top, which would then turn again ... the result of this is that the device will perpetually spin around while hovering above the ground.

Well, thankyou Willem. I now know what Murphy's Law is, and now I must go out into the world and find a piece of toast spread with peanut butter, and a cat.

I think we need a drawing of this, immediately.

Hi Cactuscafé! Sorry but you'll have to wait for the drawing ... I'm up over my ears in art projects right now! But I'll see if I can get to it.

Anyways about 'Murphy's Law' and (cosmic) spirituality: I actually believe that there's a greater potential for good than for evil. To put it relative to the law: there are more things that can go right, than there are things that can go wrong. SO if everything happens that can possibly happen, there will be much more good than evil.