All of Michael_Zeleny's Comments + Replies

An accurate estimate of anyone else’s psychology is a dubious benefit in strategic interactions that depend solely on being able to predict the actions of friend and foe.

In Proposition XXXVII of Part IV of the Ethics, Benedict Spinoza asserts that the good that every man who follows after virtue wants for himself, he also desires for other men; and this Desire is greater as his knowledge of God is greater. After proving his claim, Spinoza observes that the law against killing animals is based more on vain superstition and womanish pity than on sound reason... (read more)

1jeronimo196
Necroing, I couldn't help myself: An accurate estimate of anyone else's psychology should improve your ability to predict their actions. Beautiful. If I may misquote Tanos -"Using christianity to destroy christianity." I am not sure Spinoza would agree with the notion that foreigners are non-human, though. Leaving questions of theology and morality aside, the point of the above post is that thinking of your enemies as non-human will intervene with your ability to accurately model their motivations and predict/influence their future behaviour.