username2 comments on Putanumonit - Discarding empathy to save the world - Less Wrong

7 Post author: Jacobian 06 October 2016 07:03AM

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Comment author: username2 06 October 2016 09:31:39PM 1 point [-]

I think this article is something that people outside of this community really ought to read.

Interesting. Why people outside of this community? I find it is actually the LW and EA communities that place an exorbitant amount of emphasis on empathy. Most of those I know outside of the rationalist community understand the healthy tradeoff between charitable action and looking out for oneself.

Comment author: siIver 07 October 2016 12:19:11AM 0 points [-]

My observation is that people who are smart generally try to live more ethically, but usually have skewed priorities; e.g. they'll try to support the artists they like and to be decent in earning their money, when they'd fair better just worrying less about all that and donating a bit to the right place every month. Quantitative utility arguments are usually met with rejection.

LW's, on the other hand, seem to be leaning in that direction anyway. Though I'm fairly new to the community, so I could be wrong.

I wouldn't show it to people who lack a "solid" moral base in the first place. They probably fair better in keeping every shred of empathy they have (thinking of how much discrimination still exists today).

Comment author: username2 07 October 2016 02:38:17AM 0 points [-]

It sounds like you are still clinging to the idea that emotional empathy is a qualitatively good thing... motivated thinking?

Comment author: DanArmak 06 October 2016 11:15:54PM 0 points [-]

This doesn't entirely match my impression of the LW community. (I know much less about the non-LW EA community.) What are you basing this on? Were there major LW posts about empathy, or LW Survey questions, or something else?