Hunting or foraging had psychological rewards, which aren’t necessarily small or unjustifiable—eg. feeling more capable and in control. The question is rather whether these gains can be obtained another way.
In the case of hunting, they can.
In the case of relationships with other sentient beings, I have so far seen nothing that looks like it produces equivalent effects.
Overall your post seems to be about what people value, rather than being addressed at the topic of the original post : what helps people be complete people—what are the essential dimensions of human living.
A successful counterargument to the original post would demonstrate that relationships were not necessary, rather than not valued
(People’s values are not a good guide to what’s actually good for them. Lopsidedness prevails.)
In the case of relationships with other sentient beings, I have so far seen nothing that looks like it produces equivalent effects.
The point I was trying to make is that perhaps future technology will find something. Perhaps the catgirls will satisfy romantic/emotional needs as well, without the complications that human partners bring in to the equation.
People do value good things, generally at the expense of valuing good things of different types.. (eg. financial security is good, romance is good, friendship is good, community involvement is good, focus is good, purpose is good. But all of those things are much less good for you if taken without the others. This applies directly to the catgirls scenario.)
This is probably more a function of social/practical pressure and shortness of life than anything else.
The result being an incomplete life (in the sense of having one or more important dimensions of human experience absent or rare in your life).
TL;DR / IOW: People are good at valuing good things in bad proportion.
Hunting or foraging had psychological rewards, which aren’t necessarily small or unjustifiable—eg. feeling more capable and in control. The question is rather whether these gains can be obtained another way.
In the case of hunting, they can.
In the case of relationships with other sentient beings, I have so far seen nothing that looks like it produces equivalent effects.
Overall your post seems to be about what people value, rather than being addressed at the topic of the original post : what helps people be complete people—what are the essential dimensions of human living.
A successful counterargument to the original post would demonstrate that relationships were not necessary, rather than not valued
(People’s values are not a good guide to what’s actually good for them. Lopsidedness prevails.)
The point I was trying to make is that perhaps future technology will find something. Perhaps the catgirls will satisfy romantic/emotional needs as well, without the complications that human partners bring in to the equation.
Explain?
People do value good things, generally at the expense of valuing good things of different types.. (eg. financial security is good, romance is good, friendship is good, community involvement is good, focus is good, purpose is good. But all of those things are much less good for you if taken without the others. This applies directly to the catgirls scenario.)
This is probably more a function of social/practical pressure and shortness of life than anything else.
The result being an incomplete life (in the sense of having one or more important dimensions of human experience absent or rare in your life).
TL;DR / IOW: People are good at valuing good things in bad proportion.