Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Tradition is Smarter (2018)

scholars-stage.org

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

21–30 of 174 posts

Re: Tradition is Smarter (2018)

#21

Post by codemonkey-zeta »

criley2 wrote: post #16
codemonkey-zeta wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Maybe you should be worshipping the sun. Morning sunlight exposure is associated with all kinds of health benefits, not least of which producing Vitamin D, an essential vitamin that, among other things, provides vital protection against certain circulating diseases... Maybe you should also live everyday as though the possibility of the sun never rising again were real, then maybe you might get busy doing those import…

You can develop a days worth of vitamin D in 15 minutes (or simply supplement it for the same benefits), meanwhile excessive sun exposure is correlated with all manner of health problems, not the least of which is cancer. People who spend more time outdoors tend to die younger. Again, progress trumps tradition.

Imagining a life of merely 15 minutes outside sounds miserable. It's also about the psychological benefits of sunlight exposure.

Re: Tradition is Smarter (2018)

#22

Post by PainfullyNormal »

klyrs wrote: post #2

Well, let's go back to worshipping the sun, then. Who knows, if we don't, it might not rise tomorrow... Or, just maybe, progress itself is a tradition that deserves its own reverence. Sometimes, Chesterson's fence was erected by a shepherd who no longer uses the field that you'd rather play soccer on. It was useful in its day, but no longer.

> let's go back to worshipping the sun

Did we ever stop? Praise the sun! solaire pose

Re: Tradition is Smarter (2018)

#23

Post by dang »

Related:

Tradition Is Smarter (2018) - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22037749 - Jan 2020 (101 comments)

Also:

Chesterton's Fence - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31553665 - May 2022 (13 comments)

Chesterton’s Fence (2020) - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=30070757 - Jan 2022 (142 comments)

Chesterton’s Fence: A Lesson in Second Order Thinking - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22533484 - March 2020 (85 comments)

The Fallacy of Chesterton’s Fence (2014) - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13063246 - Nov 2016 (26 comments)

The Fallacy of Chesterton’s Fence (2014) - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11743965 - May 2016 (2 comments)

Taking a Fence Down - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9745149 - June 2015 (42 comments)

Others?

Re: Tradition is Smarter (2018)

#24

Post by 1123581321 »

klyrs wrote: post #2

Well, let's go back to worshipping the sun, then. Who knows, if we don't, it might not rise tomorrow... Or, just maybe, progress itself is a tradition that deserves its own reverence. Sometimes, Chesterson's fence was erected by a shepherd who no longer uses the field that you'd rather play soccer on. It was useful in its day, but no longer.

You most likely did not descend from people who worshipped the sun, just people who used the sun in art and recognized its benefits to them.

There were deities associated with the sun. Sol Invictus is the most commonly known, but was a relatively late addition to the Roman pantheon, intentionally appropriated from traditions from Syria and elevated by the empire for what they perceived to be civic benefit. Hardly traditional, but perhaps an early example of bureaucrats recognizing the value of a tradition they did not personally respect.

Re: Tradition is Smarter (2018)

#25

Post by ralusek »

The thing that progressivism has gotten wrong is that tradition isn't completely arbitrary and lacking in utility. The thing that conservatism has gotten wrong is that tradition isn't simply defensible for its own sake.

Modern progressivism feels like going into a house to remodel, with a sledgehammer, without bothering to give any consideration to which walls might be load bearing. Conservatism feels like keeping a claustrophobic ugly kitchen in lieu of an open floorplan, simply because the walls should be assumed to be load bearing.

Re: Tradition is Smarter (2018)

#26

Post by _corvo_ »

77pt77 wrote: post #11
trention wrote: post #6

Generally you should assume that tradition/status quo is always right until proven otherwise (=a logically compelling argument against, backed empirically).

Experimental evidence shows that tradition and common sense are almost invariably wrong.

May I ask for links to the research that shows this? Not arguing, just curious.

Re: Tradition is Smarter (2018)

#27

Post by klyrs »

cratermoon wrote: post #9
klyrs wrote: post #2

Well, let's go back to worshipping the sun, then. Who knows, if we don't, it might not rise tomorrow... Or, just maybe, progress itself is a tradition that deserves its own reverence. Sometimes, Chesterson's fence was erected by a shepherd who no longer uses the field that you'd rather play soccer on. It was useful in its day, but no longer.

Progress itself is a tradition, but a relatively recent one, and not one deserving reverence. At least, not any more.

How recent is relatively recent in your mind?

Re: Tradition is Smarter (2018)

#28

Post by celsopitta »

klyrs wrote: post #2

Well, let's go back to worshipping the sun, then. Who knows, if we don't, it might not rise tomorrow... Or, just maybe, progress itself is a tradition that deserves its own reverence. Sometimes, Chesterson's fence was erected by a shepherd who no longer uses the field that you'd rather play soccer on. It was useful in its day, but no longer.

The soccer player knows why he can do it, the fence is no longer useful. That was exactly Chesterton's point.

Re: Tradition is Smarter (2018)

#30

Post by LAC-Tech »

klyrs wrote: post #2

Well, let's go back to worshipping the sun, then. Who knows, if we don't, it might not rise tomorrow... Or, just maybe, progress itself is a tradition that deserves its own reverence. Sometimes, Chesterson's fence was erected by a shepherd who no longer uses the field that you'd rather play soccer on. It was useful in its day, but no longer.

Well, let's go back to worshipping the sun, then. Who knows, if we don't, it might not rise tomorrow...

I think we'd be much better off being un-ironic sun-worshipers than hollowed-out atomised atheists.

And I see that as someone who is sadly in the latter category.

Post reply on HN