71–80 of 96 posts
How convenient for him. I'm supposed to take life lessons from some guy that put his own selfish needs above his wife's and children's just because he got bored of having sex with one person? That's sickening.
"... he then married, had four children [...] that a polyamorous lifestyle was, in fact, for him [...] "I really wanted to have sex with other people" [...] now a divorced professor" How convenient for him. I'm supposed to take life lessons from some guy that put his own selfish needs above his wife's and children's just because he got bored of having sex with one person? That's sickening.
The man realised, during the course of his relationship, that he was unhappy with his life. So he made a change that made him happier. At the same time he deposits the bulk of his paycheck into his wife's account and considers it his ethical duty to see his kids three to four times a week. All things considered, the man made the change in a rather respectable manner.
The alternative is to remain in the relationship, discontent, for the rest of his life. Is that what is expected of people? In the best case, one person is miserable. In the worst case, his unhappiness manifests in the relationships with his wife and kids. It seems reasonable that he steps aside before that can happen, leaving him and his family to pursue happiness elsewhere.
I disagree with him because of his premise that complete information creates a level playing field between people. Rather, the people who fall closer to the perceived "normal" gain power over those who are closer to the tails of the bell-curve.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
The other reason he can be so flippant is that he's an ex-Mormon who walked out on his family and church because he'd taken up sleeping around and atheism, so from his point of view the worst damage to his social standing has already been inflicted.
Do you really "take up atheism" or do you just not go to church, etc? I don't feel like I've taken it up, it's just not something I worry about or act on. Rest of your point stands, obviously.
If, as a child, you were just dragged along to church by your parents at Christmas and Easter, then when you grow up and realise you don't believe, so stop going, that's one thing, and there's nothing really "taken up" about it.
If you were a regular adult churchgoer of your own volition, perhaps with a lay position within the church, or even part of the clergy, then apostasy, is a strong act that might be called "taking up" your later position, even if the later position is a lack of one.
Similarly, if you become a normal atheist who simply doesn't believe in any gods, then there's nothing to take up.
However, if you become an evangelical, proselytising atheist like Richard Dawkins, then you've certainly taken it up.
In Dyer's privacy-less utopia, it just takes one person to break the rules, to keep things to themselves, to create a power disparity.
> "And having been transparent with his coreligionists about his loss of faith and with his ex-wife about his lost willingness to be monogamous, he gradually came to this life philosophy: Society would be better if no one had any secrets." Spoken like someone blessed to have been born a white heterosexual male in 21st century America. I wonder if he'd feel the same way if he was a homosexual in an incredibly homophob…
Similar to how violence is acceptable in defense of self and others, I think the same holds for lying or withholding information. If telling the truth risks inviting harm, it's right to lie. Since societies judge some lifestyles harshly, being less open than Dyer is perfectly ethical. I agree that Dyer is fortunate to be able to take such an extreme position, but I do think society would be better off if we moved tow…
Lets do a thought exercise - at extremes, what would be like if every human would be connected to the thoughts of other humans? What would be like if your friends would hear every dirty thought you have about them in a moment of weakness? What would be like if your wife that's miles away would be able to feel you admiring a hot chick passing by? The outcome is simple to grasp - in order for us to survive, we'll stop being humans - feelings for one would not belong in this world, which would raise the question of why we'd want to live our miserable lives anymore?
And if you think that we should at least have privacy of our own thoughts since the line has to be drawn somewhere, then you just acknowledged the need for privacy and yes, where should the line be drawn is a very good question and the answer should be that's up to the individual, because a heterosexual white male doesn't have the same problems as a gay afro-american.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
The other reason he can be so flippant is that he's an ex-Mormon who walked out on his family and church because he'd taken up sleeping around and atheism, so from his point of view the worst damage to his social standing has already been inflicted.
Do you really "take up atheism" or do you just not go to church, etc? I don't feel like I've taken it up, it's just not something I worry about or act on. Rest of your point stands, obviously.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Do you really "take up atheism" or do you just not go to church, etc? I don't feel like I've taken it up, it's just not something I worry about or act on. Rest of your point stands, obviously.
If you simply don't believe in god, you're agnostic. If you actively believe that there is no god, you're atheist.
http://i.imgur.com/zUh8qfn.png
> Suppose, hypothetically, I wanted to meet a beautiful "little person." Where, in your opinion, would one go to most reliably be acquainted with such a treasure? — feeling determined.
Is he making a joke, is he someone that treats people as objects? There's no context, his ideals don't work.
I'm sure the mafia would love the end of the witness protection program. And fundamentalists of any religion would like to know who exactly is breaking which one of their arbitrary rules and where they live, when their kids go to school etc. Pedophile offenders would like to know when which child is home alone etc. Privacy has a purpose, damn it! These are extreme cases, but they still are about the privacy of people…
