I couldn’t resist posting a rebuttal to Torture vs. Dust Specks. Short version: the two types of suffering are not scalars that have the same units, so comparing them is not merely a math problem.
My own problem with the torture versus dust specks problem is that I’m not sure dust specks are bad at all. I don’t remember ever being irritated by a dust speck. Actually as I’ve started thinking about this I’ve been slightly irritated by several, but they’ve never before registered in my consciousness (and therefore aren’t bad).
Oh no! Does just mentioning the problem cause people to notice dust-specs that would have otherwise gone unnoticed? If we ask 3^^^3 people the question are we in fact causing more trouble than torturing a man for 50 years?
If you ask one person and expect them to ask the advice of two others, who do the same in turn....
I couldn’t resist posting a rebuttal to Torture vs. Dust Specks. Short version: the two types of suffering are not scalars that have the same units, so comparing them is not merely a math problem.
My own problem with the torture versus dust specks problem is that I’m not sure dust specks are bad at all. I don’t remember ever being irritated by a dust speck. Actually as I’ve started thinking about this I’ve been slightly irritated by several, but they’ve never before registered in my consciousness (and therefore aren’t bad).
Oh no! Does just mentioning the problem cause people to notice dust-specs that would have otherwise gone unnoticed? If we ask 3^^^3 people the question are we in fact causing more trouble than torturing a man for 50 years?
If you ask one person and expect them to ask the advice of two others, who do the same in turn....
Seems best to stay quiet!
Pre..........