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Quora: "How does a penniless entrepreneur attract gold diggers?"

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Re: Quora: "How does a penniless entrepreneur attract gold diggers?"

#21

Post by araneae »

lionhearted wrote: post #18
gxs wrote: post #8

I've come to the conclusion that if you strip things down to basic principles, a woman that is looking for a man with a nice income, is really no different than us looking for a girl with big tits or with an interest in a special that. It's just some trait that she prefers in a partner. Every since I made this connection, I hold it less and less against women who want a man that makes a decent salary. My gf in colleg…

> a woman that is looking for a man with a nice income, is really no different than us looking for a girl with big tits or with an interest in a special that. I hear this connection a lot, but I think it's a bit flawed. A person preferring a certain kind of physique or build doesn't necessarily indicate anything about his/her values. But a desire for comfort and luxury indicates a hell of a lot about a person's value…

It's not about values, it's about reproduction.

Good looks on a gal are correlated with fertility, so a guy who marries her will have a chance at a higher reproductive success. A guy with resources can afford to take care of said children, as opposed to letting them starve to death, so she gets a higher RS as well.

Neither has anything to do with morality at all.

Re: Quora: "How does a penniless entrepreneur attract gold diggers?"

#24

Post by yanowitz »

ganjianwei wrote: post #17

When I read the comments I can't help but feel that Hacker News is 99% male because all the comments are written from a male perspective. Not just that, they also address the community as though the entire community is male. E.g. "is really no different than us looking for a girl with big tits," "Don't think of her as a potential mate." Does anyone know the gender ratio of HN members? I'd be curious to know if it wer…

Agreed. I've noticed this on other threads, thought this one will most likely put it into it's sharpest relief.

Re: Quora: "How does a penniless entrepreneur attract gold diggers?"

#25

Post by natrius »

araneae wrote: post #21
lionhearted wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> a woman that is looking for a man with a nice income, is really no different than us looking for a girl with big tits or with an interest in a special that. I hear this connection a lot, but I think it's a bit flawed. A person preferring a certain kind of physique or build doesn't necessarily indicate anything about his/her values. But a desire for comfort and luxury indicates a hell of a lot about a person's value…

It's not about values, it's about reproduction. Good looks on a gal are correlated with fertility, so a guy who marries her will have a chance at a higher reproductive success. A guy with resources can afford to take care of said children, as opposed to letting them starve to death, so she gets a higher RS as well. Neither has anything to do with morality at all.

Justifying behaviors with evolutionary arguments doesn't make any sense. Stealing and raping generally increase your chances of reproducing, yet they're still immoral.

I don't think seeking wealthy mates is immoral because it doesn't hurt anyone. If someone enjoys that kind of thing, good for them. If they're in it for the conspicuous consumption, I just probably wouldn't enjoy hanging out with them, let alone marrying them.

Re: Quora: "How does a penniless entrepreneur attract gold diggers?"

#27

Post by cabalamat »

araneae wrote: post #21
lionhearted wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> a woman that is looking for a man with a nice income, is really no different than us looking for a girl with big tits or with an interest in a special that. I hear this connection a lot, but I think it's a bit flawed. A person preferring a certain kind of physique or build doesn't necessarily indicate anything about his/her values. But a desire for comfort and luxury indicates a hell of a lot about a person's value…

It's not about values, it's about reproduction. Good looks on a gal are correlated with fertility, so a guy who marries her will have a chance at a higher reproductive success. A guy with resources can afford to take care of said children, as opposed to letting them starve to death, so she gets a higher RS as well. Neither has anything to do with morality at all.

> It's not about values, it's about reproduction.

It's about values and reproduction. Humans are living things, and EVERYTHING about the behaviour of living things is about reproduction. Values, in humans, are all about reproduction, directly or indirectly.

Re: Quora: "How does a penniless entrepreneur attract gold diggers?"

#28

Post by techiferous »

I just celebrated my twelfth wedding anniversary and here's some advice: what you want to look for in a mate is a loyal friend for life.

Things change. People change: your city, your religion, your personality, your income, your health. Through each change it's nice to have someone to make the change with you. A long, successful marriage requires that the relationship be reinvented as things change. At first you are lovers discovering each other, at another time you are collaborating parents, at another time you are supporting your spouse's dreams, and at yet another time it's your turn to have your dreams supported.

If you're looking for something specific like wealth or beauty, that's fine but it would never work as a foundation for a satisfying marriage relationship. I've found the best foundation to be nurturing an unconditional love for all people, because when your spouse changes into another person you will still be able to love them.

Re: Quora: "How does a penniless entrepreneur attract gold diggers?"

#29

Post by DavidMcLaughlin »

ganjianwei wrote: post #17

When I read the comments I can't help but feel that Hacker News is 99% male because all the comments are written from a male perspective. Not just that, they also address the community as though the entire community is male. E.g. "is really no different than us looking for a girl with big tits," "Don't think of her as a potential mate." Does anyone know the gender ratio of HN members? I'd be curious to know if it wer…

What you are describing is the concept of "Male gaze" in feminist theory. As common as this phenomenon is in general, it's especially rife in tech/geek circles in my experience.

Re: Quora: "How does a penniless entrepreneur attract gold diggers?"

#30

Post by nitrogen »

natrius wrote: post #25
araneae wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's not about values, it's about reproduction. Good looks on a gal are correlated with fertility, so a guy who marries her will have a chance at a higher reproductive success. A guy with resources can afford to take care of said children, as opposed to letting them starve to death, so she gets a higher RS as well. Neither has anything to do with morality at all.

Justifying behaviors with evolutionary arguments doesn't make any sense. Stealing and raping generally increase your chances of reproducing, yet they're still immoral. I don't think seeking wealthy mates is immoral because it doesn't hurt anyone. If someone enjoys that kind of thing, good for them. If they're in it for the conspicuous consumption, I just probably wouldn't enjoy hanging out with them, let alone marryi…

I didn't read the parent post as justifying so much as explaining. Evolutionary or physiological explanations for behavior are useful in understanding the behavior. Some evolutionarily advantageous behaviors are morally positive, while some are morally negative (such as the examples you listed). With a proper understanding of the origins of desirable and undesirable behaviors (and, perhaps the reasons why they are considered desirable or undesirable), a society can better encourage and enforce the essential moral values that unite the society and allow it to function.
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