Is There Less Innocence/Purity in the World Today?

[sandmoth12]

Personally, I think there is far less innocence/purity in the world today mainly because of access to the internet. It's the first time in human history that we have images and videos for nearly any thought in our wildest dreams. Of course the raw power of the internet is going to come with equally powerful corruption effects.

But this also begs the question, what is innocence and purity good for anyways?

[Navillus]

I believe that once someone logs onto the internet, innocence goes right out of the window.

[Deleted]

Define innocence.

[sandmoth12]

I believe that once someone logs onto the internet, innocence goes right out of the window.

Exactly, the internet is an extremely powerful tool for obtaining knowledge, but it is also an extremely powerful corrupting agent.

---------- Post added 2013-04-20 at 10:58 PM ----------

Define innocence.

Lack of guile or corruption; purity.

[Sam the Wiser]

You lose your innocence the moment you walk outside.

[Kraenen]

with how easy it is to get porno these days i'd say there's an increased risk

[Greeney]

I believe that once someone logs onto the internet, innocence goes right out of the window.

Well, the first few minutes I'm sure they're innocent. Then they go to a site where they click a pop up all excited because they're the 1,000,000th visitor to a site, and then all of a sudden they unintentionally find pornography and become very proud of themselves.

[nightfalls]

I believe that once someone logs onto the internet, innocence goes right out of the window.

this

/10char

[Deleted]

Lack of guile or corruption; purity.

That's not really all that helpful. What is corruption? What is purity? Are you talking about racial purity?

What are we supposed to talk about here, exactly?

[bohapjut]

That's not really all that helpful. What is corruption?

(n)
1. The action of making someone or something morally depraved or the state of being so.

What is purity? Are you talking about racial purity?

(n)
1. Freedom from adulteration or contamination.
2. Freedom from immorality, esp. of a sexual nature.

[Deleted]

corruption is spiritual or moral impurity or deviation from an ideal. (Wikipedia)

Without defining the ideal, this could be anything.


Morality is whatever we say it is. Thus, there is neither more nor less innocence than at other times.

[poogle]

Innocence really isn't too far from ignorance in many ways. Mostly 'losing' innocence is really just growing up. That or hangups about sex etc., which is a value heavily influenced by religious/conservatives of the past. The more we move away from the view point about how sex is such a horrible, shameful thing, then the less that the idea of purity/innocence applies in the context most people mean it.

[sandmoth12]

That's not really all that helpful. What is corruption? What is purity? Are you talking about racial purity?

What are we supposed to talk about here, exactly?

I think those things are up to you to define on your own. As my definition is probably different than yours, but I think that we are talking about the large general picture of what innocence and purity has been portrayed to be throughout history.

[dremnit]

history is brutal, filled with mass killings, bloody wars over territories and ideals, rapes, especially during wartime, famines, etc. we didn't suddenly "lose our innocence" in the recent decades; we never had it to begin with.

[Rendia]

Innocence is subjective, just as morals are.

So, no. I think it is about the same as it always was.

[Deleted]

I think those things are up to you to define on your own. As my definition is probably different than yours, but I think that we are talking about the large general picture of what innocence and purity has been portrayed to be throughout history.

Come on... nahh. You can do better than that. I think not.

[sergel02]

history is brutal, filled with mass killings, bloody wars over territories and ideals, rapes, especially during wartime, famines, etc. we didn't suddenly "lose our innocence" in the recent decades; we never had it to begin with.

Basically. Those things happen today, but not quite in the same way they did before, or to the same degree. I think that's why I feel like there isn't any more or any less. Humans are still humans in the end.

Defining what innocence is can be hard though, and you could probably write entire essays on it's concept and meaning. I guess it means different things to different people. For some, innocence may simply equate to virginity in their minds, while many others have much more complex definitions.

[sandmoth12]

history is brutal, filled with mass killings, bloody wars over territories and ideals, rapes, especially during wartime, famines, etc. we didn't suddenly "lose our innocence" in the recent decades; we never had it to begin with.

We used to hear about those things, but now with the invention of the media and internet entire societies can witness atrocities.

[s_bushido]

Didn't get the answers you wanted from your "moral standards" thread, eh?

But no, the world's always been a dirty place.

[sandmoth12]

Didn't get the answers you wanted from your "moral standards" thread, eh?

But no, the world's always been a dirty place.

Yeah, but it has never been this wide spread.

Actually, the really intriguing question what innocence and purity are good for? I have no doubt they must be positive attributes for something, or else they wouldn't be so difficult to keep.