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↰ answers Andrew Mason
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Andrew Mason: But can we distance ourselves from Urth? Torture exists in our world.
If kahibits don't, it's just because we don't have the technology; exploitation of women,
in various forms, does. The Commonwealth is a pretty nasty place in many ways, but is it worse than Nazi Germany or Stalinist Russia? I think this is just the inherent corruption of humanity, not a sign of a godless world.
In my view, the world is gradually, with frequent backsliding, gradually improving and becoming more humane. The atrocities of WWII are now recognized for what they were, even by the nations which perpetrated them (sadly the USA lags behind in acknowledgement of the atrocity of the purposeful killing of over 1 million civilians in Dresden, Tokyo etc. and of course Hiroshima).
Since then we have progressed to the point that killing a few thousand civilian Iraqis and Afghans is somewhat frowned upon as are simulated drownings and stacking naked Muslim men into pyramids. Generally, I see progress.
If Urth was Earth in the future it would show complete backsliding, back past WWII to Medieval times and ethics. Even the skimpy history/future of Urth we are given with Typhon's empire and the creation of the Hierogrammates depicts a universe of cruelty.
I find it a far more positive and uplifiting view that Urth is missing some essence of progressive goodness that we on Earth possess.