Yes, I realize that the actual moral here is “Don’t tell people you understand the concept of precommitments, just pretend to be an irrational actor”.
Well, I would read the actual moral as “Parents are likely to phrase their arguments in terms of morality if it suits their purpose, even if it isn’t actually their morality”.
I think we’re using definitions differently here: I was using “moral” to mean “lesson for the reader based on what the main character wishes she had done”.
Also, parents in this instance react to events based on their stated moral system, not on their actual moral system.
However, that is the sort of assumption I already make about my parents’ statements about morality whenever those statements are suspiciously specific and applicable to a current argument that they would like to win.
Well, I would read the actual moral as “Parents are likely to phrase their arguments in terms of morality if it suits their purpose, even if it isn’t actually their morality”.
I think we’re using definitions differently here: I was using “moral” to mean “lesson for the reader based on what the main character wishes she had done”.
Also, parents in this instance react to events based on their stated moral system, not on their actual moral system.
However, that is the sort of assumption I already make about my parents’ statements about morality whenever those statements are suspiciously specific and applicable to a current argument that they would like to win.
So was I :-)