2017-06-17: Maps of Meaning #12

Meetings
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topic

discussion notes

  • Moral relativism

    • You can compare moral systems/rules to see which function better

  • Objective/subjective morality vs. universal/relative morality

    • Universal morality is something that everyone or every society agrees on or which works in all societies

    • Relative morality is based on subjective opinions on morality which differ between groups/societies

    • Objective morality is

    • What does objective mean in this context? Exists irrespective of a perceiver? How can it exist without humans then?

      • Evolutionary perspective - what will make you or your society successful is objectively good (What about conflicting adaptations?)

      • A society which thrives during a long period of time has a good moral system

      • You can have a subjective goal and build objectively good ways to achieve that goal based on the subjective premise (your goal)

  • How do you know if you have made an error?

    • You often act based on an estimation of how likely you are to succeed. If you don’t succeed, that might just mean that you gambled and you lost - not that there is anything wrong with you map.

    • These situations might be difficult to distinguish from real cases of insufficient maps. How do you know which ones are errors and which ones are lost gambles?

    • Possible consequence: you recalibrate your map into something less successful (Example discussed later in the discussion: You drive your partner in a car → another car drives into you → your partner dies → you take responsibility for the death, meaning → you never drive again = unreasonable, since the risk of getting into an accident is fairly low.)

  • Playing games that are voluntary by everyone involved will outcompete enforced games

    • Compare SJWs

    • Virtual reality is a game which removes the constraints of other people cooperating and reality

      • Will people choose to compete in the virtual reality once it becomes too much like reality?

      • Will people try to pursue sexual/romantic partners or just get a robot or a virtual experience?

        • Reality is still more meaningful than a fantasy.

      • Would people choose to live in a matrix if they had the choice?

        • Maybe not possible.

  • Even small problems can become important - rule of 3

    • If someone does something that you find disruptive, and it occurs 3 times, then you will confront the other person

    • Not ignoring it and get to the bottom of it

    • You push away the objections 3 times

    • They get mad and they burst into tears or get angry, and you push that aside

    • Then you can solve the problem as you’ve gotten to the depth of it - not be intimidated by anger, and not to be swamped by compassion by the tears

    • Good way for agreeable people to make sure they deal with problems that they should deal with

  • If you continue to agree to be a slave, then you continue to generate tyrants - tyrants will push until someone pushes back

  • You should let go of anything interfering with your psychological progression, as however valuable what you have is it is still not as valuable as what you can get

    • How do you know what is worth letting go of? You have to be practical, to some degree.

    • How should you know how to prioritise? Self-authoring program could be a start.

  • Sometimes you don’t know the best possible action → choose to say what you think and define the result of that as the best possible outcome

    • Consequences of telling the truth can be terrifying. However, they are often not as bad as you imagined.

    • If you upset someone that you don’t agree with at all and don’t identify with (e.g. Nazis), it won’t bother you. However, if you upset the group that you identify with most, then their resulting negative view of you might affect your view of yourself.

  • You don’t take responsibility of the things you don’t accept, you only take responsibility of things you choose to accept

    • When you don’t accept responsibility for something that is your responsibility, you are hiding it

    • Responsibility can be viewed as a tool that you use to make yourself better in future situations → take responsibility for the bad actions that you could change to act better in a similar future situation (e.g. genetic illness → no responsibility, nothing you could have done).

    • Take responsibility for other people by telling them when they are acting wrong - otherwise, you rob them of the opportunity to get better