When discussing the Soviet Union, and more specifically Russia, you have to also consider the beginning point as well. It should be noted how far behind Russia was compared to the rest of Europe in 1918. Coming out of abject serfdom bordering on generalized slavery, they actually made tremendous progress in both abstract metrics and tangible result in quality of life up until the late 50′s or early 60′s. Over time that then declined.
In any case, to an extent their G was “production”, measurable production, in the sample case: nails. Their G was not the market value of nails, their G was “progress through central planning”, but they didn’t know how to measure “progress” except through the early-capitalist metrics of “production”. Thus: produce more = progress, in their practice.
Our G is GDP. People seem so happy with our GDP, without reflecting on things like income disparity, striation of wealth, etc. If we allow it, we can G* ourselves into a mutant 3rd world nation, with great GDP performance but declining quality of life generally. G is quality of life. Economists, and lay people, generally equate the two, and the correlate generally, but they are not irrevocably entangled.
simplyeric
After all, in a thousand years or so, Russian revolution and the USSR will be as important as the Mongol invasion and the Khanate of the Golden Horde are today.
Which is to say: pretty important. Not that it’s important what exacly some boundary was, or who did what to whom...but all these things are part of the overall development of our current state of affairs, from the development of paper money to credit systems, from Chinese approach to Tibet to the extent of distribution of Islam.
I think it’s risky to assume that “science”, while more easily identified as rational, is in fact more rational than the rational facts of history, and its causal relationship to the present.
Discoveries in science are, in a sense, what “has to be”. But while histroy could have been different, itt wasn’t, and it simply “is what it is”.
I spend more time than I should at bars (I like my sports, and don’t own a TV..), and I’ve developed a few rules of thumb:
I never say “keep the change”...but I often say “I’m all set, thanks” if I hand them a $20 for $18 of drinks, (or $17..) for example. “I’m all set” has the same effective meaning as “keep the change”, but without the connotations.
Overtip...in moderation. Standard American fare: $1 per drink. If you order 3 drinks, tip 3 dollars. If you order 8 drinks at once, it depends. If you ordered 8 bottles of Bud, you could tip $5-$6...if you ordered 8 mixed drinks, $8-$10. If you order 1 drink at a time, but stay for a while and order a handful of drinks, consider occasionally tossing in an extra dollar now and then. (an $18 martini sometimes, but not always, merits $2 for one drink...it depends. If the bartender is aloof and self important, I only tip $1)
Women often tip less than men. NOTE: this varies WIDELY, in both how it’s done and how people react to it. A bunch of single girls at a bar will often order 3-4 drinks, and leave a dollar. In some places that’s “the cost of doing business”, in others it will get you worse service over time (I’ll point out that there’s a countervailing trend where some women type MORE than men, in part because some of their peers tip less...it’s confusing)
Ordering: get up to the bar, make your presence know as subtly as possible 4.a. hand on the bar with two fingers slightly extended, like a half-hearted peace sign, or with money/card in the hand but not flagrantly displayed 4.b. eye contact. Watch the bartender...as he/she turns and scans, give a nod, raise the eyebrows, like in a quiet cordial non-vocal greeting)… but then BE PATIENT.
Once you’ve registered your presence, they will mentally que you up and come to you in your turn. Be ready to order, or have minimal questions. (note: obviously this will fail sometimes..start subtle, and increase efforts bit by bit...waving or “excuse me” is a last resort)be quick, friendly, humble, quick, curteous, and quick. Not servile...just, cordially professional. If you want to throw in humor or more interaction, do it while they are pouring your drink. Don’t slow down the process by making the joke stand on it’s own
When ordering: Speak clearly...enunciate, (slightly) exagerrate lip movement...these people are professionals and will try to read your lips if it’s noisy.
When ordering: know what you want (as much as is possible). If you order “vodka and x___” be prepared to answer type of vodka (or whatever alcohol is involved). If you don’t know what brand, say “I don’t know...whatever’s good” and you’ll probably get a standard brand. If you say “I don’t care” you’ll usually get “well” which is the cheapest (but some “scene” places will give you something expensive). If you actually don’t care, say “house” or “well”...sometimes this will taste bad, but it’s cheaper.
If there’s space, belly up to the bar! (as you see fit) If it’s crowded, don’t insist on having to have full shoulder width at the bar. Stand perpendicular, lean in on your elbow to order, etc
Other things to look out for: -guys, don’t necessarily tip cute waitresses more. I mean, by all means feel free. But it gets silly sometimes -guys, if the waitress/bartender is cute in...specific visual ways… do make an effort to look up at her face when you are talking to her -girls, if you tip less, fine. But don’t be stingy “just because you can get away with it”
[note: this post is making me want to reassess my lifestyle. ooof]
An interesting concept...but I wonder. I bet at least some people would actually notice that. They’d see unrest in the middle east and say “hmm...oil prices didn’t change the way I expected them to” or something. Sometimes you see things like ” index rises in spite of ”.
I think Graham’s inference has merit: these people don’t really know what’s happening...but I think some people at least would notice the anomoly.
It also allows us to weight the consequences in order to, in fact, suffer them by choice, with the notion that suffering of certain consequences has other payoffs.
“Okay, but there’s one innocent interpretation even here. People learn language, and when we learn language we copy the verbal behavior of other people.
This is not innocent! Just because everyone does it, doesn’t make it okay. You can’t trust your instincts! ….”
We have to be careful about the notion of “can’t trust your instincts.” There is a fundamental process of language aquisition I think we’d be hard pressed to deny. This is similar to learning about thermodynamics. The first word we know is “mommy” (often, +/-). At this stage, and for a long time, we don’t understand what it really means, this concept of “mother” (and many of us never will). How is that different than “conduction”? You have to start somewhere, and necessarily small.
On the other hand, the notion in teaching that you have succeeded if they know the passwords is insidious and lazy. The big password fetish nowadays is standardized tests: if the students test well, then you’ve succeeded in teaching them well. It’s passwords with no follow-up, no synthesis.
I think it’s quite rational to point out that people have psychological and physiological reaction to “inclusion” and attention. The reaction that people have may not be inherently rational, but identifying it seems quite rational to me.
Now, the way that quote is phrased is not in a rationalist manner, and Rich may not be entirely rational about it: she seems to be saying “this is what it is” without analysis or potential solution. It would take a good strong rationalist to be able to be in the situation Rich describes and not feel marginalized, since the reaction is probably an instinctual one.
There are many who believe that the key to better hair is NOT using as much shampoo. Use as little as possible in order to not have greasy hair. This takes time to master. Some people need a full scrub every day. Some people need almost nothing. The homeostatis of your scalp is the key: using less shampoo should, over time, make your scalp produce less oil.
I’m down to a point where I go a day or two rinsing only, sometimes just a little bit of extra soap from when I washed my neck. When I wash my hair, I use very little shampoo...the bare minimum. Then, a few times a year I really wash it (and then it’s all crazy for a few days).note: I should point out that I do not appear any less “groomed” than the next guy, except when I procrastinate about getting a haircut. I have extensive client contact at work in a somewhat-trendy architecture firm, etc.
Dove Bar, unscented/sensative skin. I’m not a “product” guy but that’s one product I highly recommend. A little extra attention at armpits, neck, feet, and of course the vitals, goes a long way.
IMPORTANT: deoderant. There are unscented brands, and delicate ones too. The “crystal” works for some, but I find it works in winter but not in summer (too hot, and the deoderant fails me, so I switch to an unscented antipersperant).
IMPORTANT: you can shower and deoderant all you want: you must wear fresh clothing. Fresh tshirt, socks, and underwear every day (the overshirt and pants you can wear multiple times). Synthetics stink more than cottons/wools: body oder bacteria can actually feed on the plastics in fleece, bras, socks, etc. Wash undergarments regularly, and wear cotton socks.
This doesn’t seem rational. One must develop an instinct for what one really needs to/wants to/should achieve, and judge whether maximium effort (which I assume would be required to achieve the barely-achievable) is worth the return on that investment.
I definitely like this statement...but I am not sure I agree with it.
Much learning is passive and not a result of wanting or even trying. And, a skillful teacher can cause learning (and by extension education) to happen without the student wanting to learn, or knowing that he/she is learning.
I suppose there is a specific distinction between “education” and “learning”, although I am not sure if it functionally boils down to this.
“And when they came for me, there was no one left to speak out for me.” —Martin Niemoeller
I think that quote speaks a little about the worst enemies within us, in purely clinical terms, that what’s in the best interest of those with whom you don’t necessarily explicitly associate yourself may also be in your own best interest.
The thing to keep in mind about the Jewish Holocaust is that it wasn’t particularly unusual. It was unusual mostly in its location: it was rare to carry out such large scale atrocities ″in Europe″. Exterminations had been carried out by various states upon people in every other part of the world. Some were absolute, and entire races were exterminated. Hitler had great admiration for how the United States dealt with its native population. Sweden exterminated slaughtered whole groups in Africa. The list is not as short as we’d like it to be.
An interesting (and depressing) book: Exterminate All the Brutes by Sven Lindqvist
What I took from this book is that the enemy that is the holocaust situation is within us. The Jewish Holocaust was (unfortunately) not an outlier, but rather was/is in our culture or genes or humanity (I’m not sure I know which, although I tend towards the genetics).
This might sound weird, but: internet chat rooms (is that what “Second Life” is for nowadays?). I know chat rooms have a reputation, but I’ve read that they’ve been shown to have potential for actually increasing social skills (I’m searching for the relevant article, but I know I read it in a journal over a year ago).
But, you have to be proactive about it. And of course discerning.
a. You have to find the right venue a.1. chat rooms have a reputation for a reason a.2. you need to go to a venue where everyone is not there to talk about what you typically talk about.
b. You have to be conscious about what you are doing:
b.1. not talking to people who are into what you are into (somewhat redundant to a.2.) b.2 you have to be self-aware of the process...what is working, what isn’t b.3. you have to try to step out of your “comfort zone” in order to learn new approaches, new social skills, as it wereThe thing is, people are there to talk...so, seek out those people, and talk.
I’m not saying it’s “easy”...it’s just one idea.
There are conflicting issues though. There are studies (that I read years ago, and have no link to) that show that consistency is better… that consistent low-level caffeine drinkers are more alert than their non-caffeine colleagues, but less jittery than high-caffeine people (optimum seemed to be 2-3 cups per day).
Associated with that would be method of consumption: concentrated does (espresso) v. sipping american coffee over an afternoon. Using is in a “targeted” manner might fail you: If you are not particularly used to the effects and suddenly drink coffee for short term memory reasons, you might not get the desired result because you’d be too “hepped-up” (to use the technical term...ha!).
If you ARE used to drinking coffee, and suddenly avoid it for long term learning reasons, you might be either sleepy or hit withdrawal.
Not to be a bore but it does say “Lady Average” not “Sir or Madam Average”.
But if you put out maximum effort, you can leave longevity and/or quality on the table. Silverbacks, pitchers, office workers, day-to-day-life, running, eating… Short term maximum effort might detract from long-term maximum utility. The cost/benefits analysis is at times subjective. “Utility” can mean different things to different people. “Utility”, as I interpret in a Rationalist context has a very specific almost “economic” meaning. But you can choose to reduce effort and not push the envelop, and go home, have dinner, relax, and enjoy your life. Some people might refer to that as utility, others as low hanging fruit, still others as a healthy balance.
Although it does smack of “I was just following orders”.
I know that’s not what the original quote is about, not most of the responses in this thread. But it’s a “logical” extension of the sentiment.
Don’t hate the playa, unless the playa is playing a game that is inherently and obviously worthy of hate (“I was just following orders”), or a game that might allow certain things that are worthy of hate. Exploitation of child labor, for example, is within the rules of the game (just not in certain places), and could allow a player to be more successful than one who didn’t go to that extent of the rules. In that circumstance, it seems ok to hate the player.
To be able to learn something, you have to have reasonably understood its prerequisites.
I’m not sure if I understand this, but at face value I disagree with this. For example, there is evidence that infants start learning gender roles as soon as their eyes can focus far enough away to be able to see what all is going on. This is a great example of “the things you assume which really sink into them”, and I’m not sure what the understood prerequisite would be.
But an adult will never learn second languages faster than a child, and in fact will never learn a first language at all if not during childhood.
The same is true with sports. I imagine that if an adult has never learned to walk (somehow) that it would take a lot longer than a few months to learn to walk (a newborn doesn’t take years to learn to walk...he/she takes years to build muscle strength, and then typically a short time to learn to walk and then immediately run).
I think we all wish McWilliams was correct...I just don’t think he is.
There might be a strong chance that horses and other animals would draw their gods as having human form. Humans tend to protray their gods as being either equal or higher than humanity. Animist gods are protrayed as having characteristics that surpass humans: speed, wisdom, patience, etc. based on the characteristics of that animal. Alternately, sun gods, storm gods, etc.: higher powers.
Some wild horses would have horse gods or weather gods or wolf gods. Some might have human gods, depending on their interaction with humanity.
I’d imagine that domesticated horses would have human gods, some benevolent and some malignant, or both. And some domesticated horses would go “through the looking glass” and develop a horse-god of redemption, with prophecies of freeing them from the toil and slavery of domestication, based on some original downfall of horse-dom that led to them being subservient to humans.
Or something like that.
The phrasing might be better in a different direction:
″...getting them to admit that Scandinavia is not doing something inherently wrong with it’s high tax system, given that they have relatively high happiness and quality of life.”
(in that right-wing conservatives state that high taxes inherently will cause reduction of standard of living/happiness)