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Ask HN: What's your greatest epiphany?

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Re: Ask HN: What's your greatest epiphany?

#11

Post by spindritf »

How much of human activity is just signalling, posturing, and status jockeying with no purpose I would consider practical. To the point where those behaviours seep into contexts where they're obviously unproductive, like discussions on pseudonymous Internet forums.

Robin Hanson has some extensive descriptions[1] of what I mean, with the crucial insight that "X is not about Y"[2], and that rationalization may be the original, evolutionary purpose of rational thinking rather than its perversion[3]. He even offers remedies[4] if you consider it a problem.

[1] http://www.overcomingbias.com/tag/signaling

[2] http://www.overcomingbias.com/2008/09/politics-isnt-a.html

[3] http://www.overcomingbias.com/2014/04/reason-stories-both-tu...

[4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prediction_market

Re: Ask HN: What's your greatest epiphany?

#12

Post by hackinthebochs »

That governments in all forms throughout history have had one purpose only--to keep the population fed. People have an endless capacity to endure abuse from those in power as long as they are kept satiated. The moment the food stops flowing is when revolutions occur, and not a moment before.

Re: Ask HN: What's your greatest epiphany?

#13

Post by arethuza »

Two people want to share a cake.

The reasonable person asks for half the cake, the unreasonable person asks for the whole cake.

They compromise and split the difference - the unreasonable person gets three quarters of the cake and the reasonable person gets a quarter.

[I wish I knew the origins of this - I heard it years ago.]

Re: Ask HN: What's your greatest epiphany?

#15

Post by arethuza »

hackinthebochs wrote: post #12

That governments in all forms throughout history have had one purpose only--to keep the population fed. People have an endless capacity to endure abuse from those in power as long as they are kept satiated. The moment the food stops flowing is when revolutions occur, and not a moment before.

Was lack of food a factor in either the English Civil War or the American War of Independence?

[NB I'm listening to the excellent "Revolutions" podcast at the moment http://www.revolutionspodcast.com/]

Re: Ask HN: What's your greatest epiphany?

#17

Post by sizzle »

arethuza wrote: post #13

Two people want to share a cake. The reasonable person asks for half the cake, the unreasonable person asks for the whole cake. They compromise and split the difference - the unreasonable person gets three quarters of the cake and the reasonable person gets a quarter. [I wish I knew the origins of this - I heard it years ago.]

can you elaborate how you would apply this thinking to your everyday life? thanks
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