My guess is there is a simulacra level thing going on here where some of the initial premises of cultural norms around touch were based on violence, and those premises have been re-used/co-opted for other purposes, but the underlying structure of concern with violence still looms large.
I agree with this as stated, and think it’s consistent with the perspective I’ve articulated. The crux might be the extent to which ritualized conflict can and does deviate strongly from physical conflict, and relatedly whether legalizing (high-skill) duels would be proepistemic, albeit less so than reviving accessible courts of law, denormalizing ritualized legal boilerplate, and both legalizing bets and and normalizing them as the sort of thing you do if you’re serious.
I agree with this as stated, and think it’s consistent with the perspective I’ve articulated. The crux might be the extent to which ritualized conflict can and does deviate strongly from physical conflict, and relatedly whether legalizing (high-skill) duels would be proepistemic, albeit less so than reviving accessible courts of law, denormalizing ritualized legal boilerplate, and both legalizing bets and and normalizing them as the sort of thing you do if you’re serious.