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Tradition is Smarter (2018)

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Re: Tradition is Smarter (2018)

#91

Post by 8note »

friedman23 wrote: post #46
convolvatron wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

well and good. the issue I have is that when no one can be found that knows anything about why it was put there in the first place. every day I have to climb over that damn fence to get groceries. at what point do we tear it down to see what happens? in software, I would rather tear it down and find out what it was there for. most developers I've worked with in the past couple decades operate in an atmosphere of cons…

> in software, I would rather tear it down and find out what it was there for. if you don't have regression testing there's a chance you don't find out until something disastrous happens

There's a reason it's called a scream test.

You take out the fence, then watch closely for the disaster. Likely the fence was unnecessary because most fences are built to accomodate for somebody's personal tastes and aesthetics

Re: Tradition is Smarter (2018)

#92

Post by m4nu3l »

hn_throwaway_99 wrote: post #89
m4nu3l wrote: post #82

Coincidentally I had debates recently about traditions. In particular about Monarchies. While traditions can be there for reasons and it's OK to follow some traditions, all traditions should be questioned. The amount of knowledge we have today is not comparable with what we had in any previous time in history. The article actually proves that. We now know about chronic cyanide poisoning to a level that was unknown ev…

> In short the Monarchy serve no real purpose in modern societies. Even as a symbol, it's a very bad symbol. TBH I'm sort of baffled by this stance given the events around Queen Elizabeth II's passing. To be clear, I'm not a monarchist, and I share the opinion that their continuation in modern society is, well, weird, to say the least. A modern constitutional monarch holds no real power, and often times holds less po…

This person pretty much sums up my thoughts. I'll let him speak for me (although my position is probably a bit more moderate).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7TzM1TO2pb4

He's also English while I'm not.

Re: Tradition is Smarter (2018)

#93

Post by ahelwer »

hn_throwaway_99 wrote: post #89
m4nu3l wrote: post #82

Coincidentally I had debates recently about traditions. In particular about Monarchies. While traditions can be there for reasons and it's OK to follow some traditions, all traditions should be questioned. The amount of knowledge we have today is not comparable with what we had in any previous time in history. The article actually proves that. We now know about chronic cyanide poisoning to a level that was unknown ev…

> In short the Monarchy serve no real purpose in modern societies. Even as a symbol, it's a very bad symbol. TBH I'm sort of baffled by this stance given the events around Queen Elizabeth II's passing. To be clear, I'm not a monarchist, and I share the opinion that their continuation in modern society is, well, weird, to say the least. A modern constitutional monarch holds no real power, and often times holds less po…

> A modern constitutional monarch holds no real power, and often times holds less power than normal people (e.g. not being able to express any political opinion).

The British monarchy can preview laws that impact them, holds enormous quantities of wealth & land, and multiple people were arrested the past few weeks for protesting them - what are you talking about?

Re: Tradition is Smarter (2018)

#94

Post by 8note »

hn_throwaway_99 wrote: post #89
m4nu3l wrote: post #82

Coincidentally I had debates recently about traditions. In particular about Monarchies. While traditions can be there for reasons and it's OK to follow some traditions, all traditions should be questioned. The amount of knowledge we have today is not comparable with what we had in any previous time in history. The article actually proves that. We now know about chronic cyanide poisoning to a level that was unknown ev…

> In short the Monarchy serve no real purpose in modern societies. Even as a symbol, it's a very bad symbol. TBH I'm sort of baffled by this stance given the events around Queen Elizabeth II's passing. To be clear, I'm not a monarchist, and I share the opinion that their continuation in modern society is, well, weird, to say the least. A modern constitutional monarch holds no real power, and often times holds less po…

> A modern constitutional monarch holds no real power

This is not the case. The monarchy is extremely wealthy, and a large landowner over what should be public land.

Powerwise, the queen had plenty of involvement in a coup in Australia.

Re: Tradition is Smarter (2018)

#95

Post by d0gsg0w00f »

ajuc wrote: post #34

Smart is how fast you think not how much you know. Tradition isn't smarter than you, it's the exact opposite - it's main feature is that it's VERY slow to adapt, to the point that some people still don't eat pigs millenia after we discovered how to do it safely, and other still bathe in "saint rivers" full of pollution and germs millenia after it ceased to be a net health benefit. Tradition might in some cases be wis…

> But the obvious solution is to do science to take the things that work

Science only gives you gives you facts. It doesn't tell you what to do with those facts to help you and your descendants live full and meaningful lives. Only Culture can handle that complexity.

Re: Tradition is Smarter (2018)

#96

Post by paulryanrogers »

LAC-Tech wrote: post #90
paulryanrogers wrote: post #83

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I think we'd be much better off being un-ironic sun-worshipers... Better off worshipping unintelligent and non-existent beings, and all the foolish memes that inevitably accrete with magical thinking? > hollowed-out atomised atheists. Hollowed of what? Mostly harmful traditions many of which were designed to entrench unearned power and influence?

Yeah, exactly! Imagine of instead of typing all that negative conspiracy theory rubbish on HN, you were outside intermingling at your local sun temple.

Atheism is a conspiracy theory? Or is there something in my comment history that strikes you as 'rubbish'?

Re: Tradition is Smarter (2018)

#97

Post by ahelwer »

hn_throwaway_99 wrote: post #71
nehal3m wrote: post #65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They're not equivalent in most cases (not all female genital mutilation is performed the same way and I cannot fathom a medical reason for any sort). But that doesn't mean they aren't in the same general category when defined as surgical alterations of people's genitalia performed for religious or cultural reasons without any medical necessity. A medically required circumcision when reasoned and self-chosen is an alt…

Except, ironically enough, male circumcision is the perfect example of something that was done for "traditional" religious reasons, but for which now there is ample medical support for it. For example, circumcision is extremely common in the US, despite the fact that it is relatively very rare for it to be done for religious reasons (only about 2-3% of the US population is Muslim or Jewish). It is done because the me…

There's ample medical support because it's a quick way to make a hundred bucks when you're a urologist.

Re: Tradition is Smarter (2018)

#98

Post by 8note »

celsopitta wrote: post #28
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.

If you don't know why the fence was there, how do you know that it's not still useful for that original purpose, outside of you playing soccer.

The point is to never tear down fences, because you can never quite know why it was put up. You can know that a fence isn't useful to what you want to do, but Chesterton's fence just doesn't apply

Re: Tradition is Smarter (2018)

#99

Post by m4nu3l »

hn_throwaway_99 wrote: post #89
m4nu3l wrote: post #82

Coincidentally I had debates recently about traditions. In particular about Monarchies. While traditions can be there for reasons and it's OK to follow some traditions, all traditions should be questioned. The amount of knowledge we have today is not comparable with what we had in any previous time in history. The article actually proves that. We now know about chronic cyanide poisoning to a level that was unknown ev…

> In short the Monarchy serve no real purpose in modern societies. Even as a symbol, it's a very bad symbol. TBH I'm sort of baffled by this stance given the events around Queen Elizabeth II's passing. To be clear, I'm not a monarchist, and I share the opinion that their continuation in modern society is, well, weird, to say the least. A modern constitutional monarch holds no real power, and often times holds less po…

I'd say that people coming together for something isn't necessarily good. If they come together for something wrong it is worse than everyone just minding their own businesses.

Re: Tradition is Smarter (2018)

#100

Post by klyrs »

1123581321 wrote: post #69
klyrs wrote: post #58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 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. a. You don't know my parents, don't be so sure. b. You're right, I should have gone with "washing hands before surgery" to avoid these low-effort rebuttals.

Boy. :) a) Yes, I understand you are a specific person, not a statistical average. b) I'm sorry you didn't find the bit of flavor I added to the thread interesting and wish you hadn't felt attacked by it.

All in good fun, I didn't feel attacked :)
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