CronoDAS comments on Undiscriminating Skepticism - Less Wrong

97 Post author: Eliezer_Yudkowsky 14 March 2010 11:23PM

You are viewing a comment permalink. View the original post to see all comments and the full post content.

Comments (1329)

You are viewing a single comment's thread. Show more comments above.

Comment author: ata 15 March 2010 09:13:00AM *  14 points [-]

I'm somewhat sympathetic to that idea (I haven't felt guilty about being straightish, but I've wished I were more bisexual once in a while, and succeeded in pushing myself in that direction in some cases), but I'm curious now: is gender the only dimension you'd apply that to? Would you also take a pill (again assuming it's really really safe) that would make all outward physical attributes irrelevant to how attractive you find someone? Would you take a pill that would make you enjoy every non-harmful sexual practice/fetish (not necessarily seeking them out, but able to enjoy it if a partner initiated it)?

(I originally started writing this comment thinking something like "hmm, I'd take the bi-pill, but let's take that reasoning to its vaguely-logical conclusion and see if it's still palatable", but now I'm actually thinking I'd probably take both of those pills too.)

Comment author: Eliezer_Yudkowsky 15 March 2010 10:25:38AM 10 points [-]

Well, to ask the non-mainstream-relative-to-this-community version of the question, ask "Would I take the loli pill?"

Comment author: CronoDAS 15 March 2010 07:40:49PM 18 points [-]

How about the anti-Westermark effect pill? ;)

Comment author: Jack 15 March 2010 07:53:28PM 2 points [-]

I can't believe I had never heard of that before. Fascinating.

A question if you can answer it. Wikipedia says:

When close proximity during this critical period does not occur—for example, where a brother and sister are brought up separately, never meeting one another—they may find one another highly sexually attractive when they meet as adults

The addition of "highly" seems to suggest that separated brothers and sisters find themselves especially or unusually attracted to one another. Is that the case or is Wikipedia just adding unnecessary adjectives?

Comment author: thomblake 15 March 2010 08:01:40PM 5 points [-]

There are clearer language and relevant citations at (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genetic_sexual_attraction)

Comment author: CronoDAS 15 March 2010 08:00:55PM 4 points [-]

There is a hypothesis that claims that, but the evidence is dubious.