Indeed, the only way I can make sense of that statement in the context of what I know about animal/human behavior is to hypothesize a disconnect between consciously expressed values and revealed preferences. Am I wrong in assuming that you'd have a hard time sticking your hand in a pot of boiling water in exchange for some "permanent" positive change in the universe? After all, there are a lot of lower-level brain systems that act to make sure that we don't go around sticking our hands in boiling water. (I wouldn't be too surprised to find out that you'd be willing to let yourself be tied down and have someone else stick your hand in boiling water in exchange for something you want, but the instincts that protect us from deliberate self-harm tend to be difficult to overcome.)
Am I wrong in assuming that you'd have a hard time sticking your hand in a pot of boiling water in exchange for some "permanent" positive change in the universe?
You are wrong. Whether my force of will (or indifference to pain) is sufficient to keep the hand in there for more than 8 seconds, I do not know.
But Doug, many soldiers have volunteered for combat missions knowing that the decision to volunteer adds much more expected pain to the rest of their lives than sticking a hand in boiling water would. Moreover, many cancer patients have chos...
Tyler Cowen argues in a TED talk (~15 min) that stories pervade our mental lives. He thinks they are a major source of cognitive biases and, on the margin, we should be more suspicious of them - especially simple stories. Here's an interesting quote about the meta-level: