Constant comments on What is Metaethics? - Less Wrong

31 Post author: lukeprog 25 April 2011 04:53PM

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Comment author: [deleted] 01 May 2011 10:31:01PM 2 points [-]

Judging someone else changes nothing about the state of the world unless I can persuade them to act differently.

Avoiding a person (a) does not (necessarily) persuade them to act differently, but (b) definitely changes the state of the world. This is not a minor nitpicking point. Avoiding people is also called social ostracism, and it's a major way that people react to misbehavior. It has the primary effect of protecting themselves. It often has the secondary effect of convincing the ostracized person to improve their behavior.

Comment author: Swimmer963 01 May 2011 10:33:59PM 1 point [-]

Then I would consider that a case where I could change their behaviour. There are instances where avoiding someone would bother them enough to have an effect, and other cases where it wouldn't.

Comment author: [deleted] 01 May 2011 10:48:26PM 3 points [-]

Avoiding people who misbehave will change the state of the world even if that does not affect their behavior. It changes the world by protecting you. You are part of the world.