D_Malik comments on Open thread, Oct. 6 - Oct. 12, 2014 - Less Wrong

6 Post author: MrMind 06 October 2014 08:16AM

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

Comments (332)

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

Comment author: D_Malik 10 October 2014 03:41:59AM 3 points [-]

This seems to have two mostly-orthogonal components to consider, both of which don't seem like things we can actually discuss:

  • First, the possibility that not-working-constantly may make the superhero more productive, and have other benefits which ultimately cash out as productivity. This is an empirical question, so it makes no sense to discuss it for superheroes.
  • Second, the extent to which one is obligated to sacrifice one's own non-inclusive wellbeing for others. Some people are roughly consequentialists, others are psychopaths, and there is no way to argue our way out of the disagreement - disagreements about values are settled by negotiation or by debellation, not by argument.

And this applies as much to superheroes as to the rest of us.

Comment author: Ixiel 10 October 2014 10:26:11AM 0 points [-]

Thanks for the reply. I was trying to avoid the former and examine the latter. Take the word "psychopath" and divide it by a pretty big number and I think I'm with you, at least a little, until the "and." Are there no arguments for it, or just none as helpful as social solutions iyo?