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Bored of It

paulrobertlloyd.com

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Re: Bored of It

#101

Post by zwnow »

lolinder wrote: post #90
zwnow wrote: post #78

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Because empathy isn't useful to society. One only lives once so you better make sure you'll be successful. Having empathy will actively hurt your own life

> empathy isn't useful to society ... Having empathy will actively hurt your own life Even if I accepted the second statement (which to be clear, I absolutely do not), it doesn't follow that empathy isn't useful to society. Society is not benefited by everyone running about chasing their own personal success to the exclusion of all others: that kind of world isn't even called a society. We have other names for that a…

I am aware people have trouble building this mental model of an unempathetic society. I am old enough to have witnessed that in 99% of situations people are directly responsible for their own situation. There is no reason to have empathy.

Re: Bored of It

#102

Post by rsynnott »

latexr wrote: post #30
mrb wrote: post #24

"That there’s a ‘there’ there to it." WTF does this mean? This sentence is grammatically incorrect.

https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/there_is_no_there_there

> From a remark by Gertrude Stein in Everybody's Autobiography (1937), concerning the fact that her childhood home in Oakland, California, no longer existed.

Huh. I did not realise it was originally in reference to an actual _place_.

Re: Bored of It

#103

Post by zwnow »

mdp2021 wrote: post #100
zwnow wrote: post #63

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why is being empathetic a trait of a "great mind"? Wouldn't it also be possible that "great minds" don't consider things like empathy as useful? Looking back at human history, its usually people that aren't empathetic who end up being successful. At least in a way that people consider "successful". Humanity has long outlived the usefulness of empathy.

> end up being successful And """success""" is not a value. Taken in those ways, it is the mark of the psychopath. Of course they did, because it is easier to achieve goals if you cut corners. In a gaming framework, it amounts to cheating.

Success is a value if the only thing that matters in my life is my own life. Tell me, how do I benefit from having empathy?

Re: Bored of It

#104

Post by lm28469 »

bufferoverflow wrote: post #54

Nobody asked for it??? Nobody wants it??? You're not paying attention. I want it. I think it's our only chance at quickly solving huge complex problems like aging, cancer, Alzheimer's.

It sounds a lot like you want to cure life. We're mortal meat bags, go enjoy life instead of worrying about "solving" the inevitable.

Re: Bored of It

#105

Post by lolinder »

zwnow wrote: post #101
lolinder wrote: post #90

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> empathy isn't useful to society ... Having empathy will actively hurt your own life Even if I accepted the second statement (which to be clear, I absolutely do not), it doesn't follow that empathy isn't useful to society. Society is not benefited by everyone running about chasing their own personal success to the exclusion of all others: that kind of world isn't even called a society. We have other names for that a…

I am aware people have trouble building this mental model of an unempathetic society. I am old enough to have witnessed that in 99% of situations people are directly responsible for their own situation. There is no reason to have empathy.

> building this mental model of an unempathetic society

No, it's not about mental models, it's that what you're describing is, at the limit, no longer a society at all. You need a different word for the kind of Randian endgame you're advocating for. Using "society" for it is just confusing things for everyone involved.

Re: Bored of It

#106

Post by thih9 »

latexr wrote: post #17

> The best minds of my generation I’m tired of that line. I remember first seeing it on “the best minds of our generation being employed to sell you ads”. Making a computer go brrr doesn’t qualify anyone for a “best mind”. I’d hope a “best mind” would be, above all, empathetic. Concerned about the well being of their fellow humans. Philosophical about the state of the world. Patient. Curious. Wise and not just smart.…

I think "best" in this case stands for highest performance and not necessarily moral values - with this definition, unfortunately, making a computer go brrr does qualify for a best mind, if the brrr is especially impressive.

Re: Bored of It

#107

Post by bufferoverflow »

lm28469 wrote: post #104
bufferoverflow wrote: post #54

Nobody asked for it??? Nobody wants it??? You're not paying attention. I want it. I think it's our only chance at quickly solving huge complex problems like aging, cancer, Alzheimer's.

It sounds a lot like you want to cure life. We're mortal meat bags, go enjoy life instead of worrying about "solving" the inevitable.

Cure death, not life.

And I do enjoy life, that's exactly why I want it to be much much longer.

Re: Bored of It

#108

Post by nathan_compton »

joewhale wrote: post #80
bufferoverflow wrote: post #54

Nobody asked for it??? Nobody wants it??? You're not paying attention. I want it. I think it's our only chance at quickly solving huge complex problems like aging, cancer, Alzheimer's.

Aging isn’t a problem. It’s normal.

That which is normal is not necessarily also good or not problematic. Racism is normal, but its a problem. War is normal, but its absurdly wasteful and problematic. Cancer is normal etc.

Re: Bored of It

#109

Post by bufferoverflow »

joewhale wrote: post #80
bufferoverflow wrote: post #54

Nobody asked for it??? Nobody wants it??? You're not paying attention. I want it. I think it's our only chance at quickly solving huge complex problems like aging, cancer, Alzheimer's.

Aging isn’t a problem. It’s normal.

It's a problem for me.

When you're 60 or 70, you will wish to have a body of a 25 year old.

Dying early from rotting teeth is normal in nature, yet you probably brush, floss, and go to dentist.

Re: Bored of It

#110

Post by nottorp »

latexr wrote: post #26
nottorp wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Rust :) Seriously speaking, they don't need to name "it" because all they've written applies equally to whatever the latest mass hysteria is about.

Patently not true. Pokémon Go, for example, wouldn’t fit several of the points. > The inevitable, dehumanising consequence of it. > Rubbish in and rubbish out of it. > Nobody asked for it, and nobody wants it. > A thousand no’s, but ‘yes’ when shareholders start clamouring for it. > A decommissioned nuclear power station required to power it. > Not to mention millions of gallons of water required to cool it.

I and the article are talking about the serious techy hysterias that will make you BILLIONS if you only got into them in time.

Not some measly free to play gambling app.

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