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Kaj_Sotala comments on The Twin Webs of Knowledge - Less Wrong
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I've found a definite relief in evolutionary psychology - as many others, I have maintained an unrealistically positive self-image. Then at times I have found out that my actions don't match up with the ethics I was previously claiming to follow. Looking at evpsych and realizing that this kind of behavior is actually normal has helped me to accept that I don't need to feel guilty about being less ethical than I actually am... and accepting that has helped me actually become more ethical, in more ways than one, as I don't need to waste time feeling guilty instead of actually changing things.
Now that is an interesting take on the matter. Thank you, Kaj.
Of course, before the "realization" that your misdemeanours were caused by lawful physical malfunctions of your brain, rather than by a nonphysical black box called your "self", one could always entertain the illusion that misbehaviour was, for oneself, an abberation which would be expunged if only you really tried hard enough. To realize that it is the default scenario is saddening.
clarify: about the possibility of being less ethical than you are now? Obviously you can't now be less than you are now.
I think I meant to write something along the lines of "about acting less ethically than my unrealistically glorified self-image claims I would act".