This is quite difficult, even without switching costs or fear of change. Definition of optimal is elusive, and most SOA have so many measurable and unmeasurable, correlated and uncorrelated factors to them that comparison is not directly possible.
Add to this the common moral beliefs (incorrect IMO, but still very common) of “inaction is less blameworthy than wrong action, and only slightly blameworthy compared to correct action”, and there needs to be a pretty significant expected gain from switching in order to undertake it.
With that in mind, suppose you are asexual. Would you take a pill to make you not asexual?
I’m not asexual, but sex is less important to me than for most humans, as far as I can tell. I know of no pills to shift in either direction that are actually effective and side-effect-free, and it’s not meta-important to me enough to seek out change in either direction. This does NOT mean that I judge it optimal, just that I think the risk and cost of adjusting myself to be higher than the value.
In fact, I suspect such pills would be very popular if they existed, and I would likely try them out if common, to find out if it’s actually better in either direction.
You could make this argument about a LOT of things—for any trait or metric about yourself, why is this exact value the best one? Wouldn’t you like to raise or lower it? In fact, most people DO attempt to change things about themselves. It’s just not actually as easy as taking a pill, so the cost of actually working toward a change is nonzero, and can’t be handwaved away.
This is quite difficult, even without switching costs or fear of change. Definition of optimal is elusive, and most SOA have so many measurable and unmeasurable, correlated and uncorrelated factors to them that comparison is not directly possible.
Add to this the common moral beliefs (incorrect IMO, but still very common) of “inaction is less blameworthy than wrong action, and only slightly blameworthy compared to correct action”, and there needs to be a pretty significant expected gain from switching in order to undertake it.
I’m not asexual, but sex is less important to me than for most humans, as far as I can tell. I know of no pills to shift in either direction that are actually effective and side-effect-free, and it’s not meta-important to me enough to seek out change in either direction. This does NOT mean that I judge it optimal, just that I think the risk and cost of adjusting myself to be higher than the value.
In fact, I suspect such pills would be very popular if they existed, and I would likely try them out if common, to find out if it’s actually better in either direction.
You could make this argument about a LOT of things—for any trait or metric about yourself, why is this exact value the best one? Wouldn’t you like to raise or lower it? In fact, most people DO attempt to change things about themselves. It’s just not actually as easy as taking a pill, so the cost of actually working toward a change is nonzero, and can’t be handwaved away.