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Yvain comments on Diseased thinking: dissolving questions about disease - Less Wrong
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Comments (343)
I like this because it dissolves the question quite effectively. I'm not sure the question should be dissolved, though ... what about the sister?
This is why I'm not a consequentialist all the way. We may regard it as obvious that cancer is undesirable, but there really may be some who disagree. There are some who disagree that obesity is undesirable. There are some who disagree that depression is undesirable. Health is one issue where most people (in our society) are particularly unlikely to take account of differences in opinion.
Praise and blame are not just alternate possible ways to treat a disease. Example: I personally think obesity is undesirable. If I know an obese person who's happy that way, though, I wouldn't dream of trying to "treat" her, because it's none of my business. Yet I'm still curious to what extent she's "blameworthy" or personally responsible. Judging someone's blameworthiness or praiseworthiness doesn't necessarily result in trying to improve her behavior; it has to do with what opinion I hold of her.
That's a libertarian deontologist view, yeah, but it's close enough to ordinary behavior that I think we should consider whether it's completely unreasonable.
I sort of agree. I didn't treat this issue because the post was already getting too long.
We have various incentives to want obese people to become thin: paternalistic concern for their health, negative externalities, selfish reasons if we're their friend or relative and want to continue to enjoy their company without them dying early, aesthetic reasons, the emotional drain of offering them sympathy if we don't think they deserve it. One of the most important reasons is helping them overcome akrasia - if they want to become thinner, us being seen to condemn obesity might help them.
If they don't want to become thinner, that incentive goes away. The other incentives might or might not be enough to move us on their own.
(usually, though, these things only become issues at the societal level. I can't think of the last time I personally was mean to an obese person, despite having ample opportunities. In that context, I think the feelings of particular obese people on the issue becomes less important)