brazil84 comments on Shut Up and Divide? - Less Wrong

60 Post author: Wei_Dai 09 February 2010 08:09PM

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Comment author: brazil84 13 February 2010 02:29:40PM -1 points [-]

Toby, since you didn't answer my question, I will guess that you do not have any children and do not plan to have any children.

So then the question comes: Who will tend to the needs of the children and grandchildren of the impoverished folks you are helping now? If history is any guide, the folks you are helping will have a lot of descendants and they will all be very needy.

Even if you are having children, it is likely that your descendants will be far fewer in number than the descendents of the poor folks you are helping.

So respectfully, it seems to me you are being selfish by helping to create problems in the future which other peoples' children will be forced to help address. All so you can feel good about yourself by reducing your cognitive dissonance.

JMHO

Comment author: ciphergoth 13 February 2010 02:57:32PM 2 points [-]

JMHO

I am compiling a list of phrases never to use; that's one of them.

Comment author: Blueberry 15 February 2010 09:58:45AM 0 points [-]

I would love to know what else is on your list.

Comment author: ciphergoth 15 February 2010 10:11:51AM 2 points [-]

One like the above is "I was only trying to make you think". Two others that would need separate discussion are "political correctness", and "I am not someone who is in thrall to the prevailing reality distortion field".

Comment author: Blueberry 15 February 2010 12:15:43PM 6 points [-]

Now I'm curious why you're against the phrase "political correctness", which I like. As Paul Graham put it,

You can attack labels with meta-labels: labels that refer to the use of labels to prevent discussion. The spread of the term "political correctness" meant the beginning of the end of political correctness, because it enabled one to attack the phenomenon as a whole without being accused of any of the specific heresies it sought to suppress.

Comment author: ciphergoth 15 February 2010 07:59:02PM 0 points [-]

That one might need a post of its own...

Comment author: Blueberry 15 February 2010 08:04:29PM 1 point [-]

If you ever feel like making it, I'd be interested. Short summary?

Comment author: RichardKennaway 15 February 2010 01:41:50PM 0 points [-]

Going up to the meta-level is often itself a way of preventing discussion.

Comment author: Jack 15 February 2010 12:23:04PM 0 points [-]

Economic development tends to decrease population growth.

Comment author: brazil84 15 February 2010 02:44:40PM 2 points [-]

Well how exactly would you use outside money to stimulate economic development in places like Liberia, Zambia, Nigeria, or Mali?

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