Hmmm. I suspects it depends on the circumstances. If you are a (male) pirate and you want a pirate girlfriend, but the only females in your immediate surroundings are ninjas, you will not find their constant discussions of surikens and stealthy assasinations enjoyable, when you only want to talk about muskets and ship-boardings.
I think that’s exactly the situation the parent was talking about; it’s easier to self-modify to take an interest in shuriken and stealthy assassinations than to convince others to do the converse, or to form a relationship when you have no common interesting conversations.
The difficulty of self-modification depends on the part being modified, the degree of modification, and one’s attitudes towards the change. Some self-modifications are easy, others are impossible.
All right, let’s get back to the real world. We were talking about romantic relations.
It is unlikely that a person who likes classical music and computer science will be able to self-modify into a person who likes heavy metal and stealing cars.
It is unlikely that a person who likes classical music and computer science will be able to self-modify into a person who likes heavy metal and stealing cars.
Can’t speak for stealing cars, but there’s more overlap between classical and metal fans than you might think; there exists a subgenre of neoclassical heavy metal, even.
Also, since cars are now quite integrated with computers this person might have lots of fun stealing them. And if ze watches Breaking Bad there’s a whole lot of inspiration there for intellectuals looking to turn to a life of blue-collar crime.
Maybe I should be steel-manning Locaha’s argument but my point is I don’t think the limits of this sort of self-mod are well understood, so it’s premature to declare which mods are or aren’t “real world”.
I think the problem here is one of motivation to self-modify. For example, it’s one thing to want to self-modify to like spicy food (possible, but potentially unpleasant) or become bisexual (possible for some, probably, but not for others), but other self-modifications are less desirable—for example, I wouldn’t want to be more interested in “normal people” even if it would increase the number of people with whom I’d have relationships.
I’d expect most of the gains from becoming more interested in “normal people” to come from the side effect of improving your emotional rapport with such people, not limited to those you might be interested in dating, not from the direct effect of increasing your supply of potential relationships.
This makes it sound trivial. Would you consider it trivial for someone ship-wrecked on a Ninja Island with a peg-leg and various other piraty injuries?
Then, unfortunately, you must compartmentalise, wear a mask, whatever that makes shurikens endlessly fascinating for you until you (make money to) get your ship fixed. Then set sail, and cast away the mask.
Hmmm. I suspects it depends on the circumstances. If you are a (male) pirate and you want a pirate girlfriend, but the only females in your immediate surroundings are ninjas, you will not find their constant discussions of surikens and stealthy assasinations enjoyable, when you only want to talk about muskets and ship-boardings.
I think that’s exactly the situation the parent was talking about; it’s easier to self-modify to take an interest in shuriken and stealthy assassinations than to convince others to do the converse, or to form a relationship when you have no common interesting conversations.
I have to disagree here. It is very hard to self-modify.
The difficulty of self-modification depends on the part being modified, the degree of modification, and one’s attitudes towards the change. Some self-modifications are easy, others are impossible.
All right, let’s get back to the real world. We were talking about romantic relations.
It is unlikely that a person who likes classical music and computer science will be able to self-modify into a person who likes heavy metal and stealing cars.
Can’t speak for stealing cars, but there’s more overlap between classical and metal fans than you might think; there exists a subgenre of neoclassical heavy metal, even.
Also, since cars are now quite integrated with computers this person might have lots of fun stealing them. And if ze watches Breaking Bad there’s a whole lot of inspiration there for intellectuals looking to turn to a life of blue-collar crime.
Maybe I should be steel-manning Locaha’s argument but my point is I don’t think the limits of this sort of self-mod are well understood, so it’s premature to declare which mods are or aren’t “real world”.
I think the problem here is one of motivation to self-modify. For example, it’s one thing to want to self-modify to like spicy food (possible, but potentially unpleasant) or become bisexual (possible for some, probably, but not for others), but other self-modifications are less desirable—for example, I wouldn’t want to be more interested in “normal people” even if it would increase the number of people with whom I’d have relationships.
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I meant “interest” in the sense of “enjoy interaction with” or “enjoy a relationship with”.
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I’d expect most of the gains from becoming more interested in “normal people” to come from the side effect of improving your emotional rapport with such people, not limited to those you might be interested in dating, not from the direct effect of increasing your supply of potential relationships.
Then go somewhere else. Duh. :-)
This makes it sound trivial. Would you consider it trivial for someone ship-wrecked on a Ninja Island with a peg-leg and various other piraty injuries?
You can’t. You need money to repair your ship, and only ninjas hire in this economy...
Then, unfortunately, you must compartmentalise, wear a mask, whatever that makes shurikens endlessly fascinating for you until you (make money to) get your ship fixed. Then set sail, and cast away the mask.
You don’t actually have to talk with the ninja girls. There is no requirement to have the same hobbies as your co-workers.