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pnrjulius comments on Cynical About Cynicism - Less Wrong
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What is "cynical" about that? It is a central organising principle in biology that organisms tend to act in such a way to promote their own inclusive genetic fitness. There are a few caveats - but why would viewing people like that be "cynical"? I do not see anything wrong with promoting your own genetic fitness - rather it seems like a perfectly natural thing to do to me.
Looking at the population explosion, I would say that the world appears to be full of people who are acting in a manner that is highly effective at promoting their own genetic fitness. They are doing something wrong? What makes you think that?
The cynicism lies in thinking that this is a motive (it's not, not in any ordinary sense; do I have a "motive" of being drawn toward the center of the Earth?), and also in thinking that this somehow devalues actual human capacities for rationality, love, altruism, etc.