The_Bird

• The_Bird 7 Apr 2016 5:38 UTC

  −4 points

  on: Ra­tion­al­ity Quotes April 2016

  People used to try to act more sophisticated by demonstrating their greater knowledge. Today, people try for higher status by offering sophistry about why Knowledge Can’t Exist.

  Steve Sailer

• The_Bird 29 Mar 2016 23:37 UTC

  5 points

  on: “3 Rea­sons It’s Ir­ra­tional to De­mand ‘Ra­tion­al­ism’ in So­cial Jus­tice Ac­tivism”

  Changing social conventions has a cost. When we extend social justice beyond respect for difference that people have no choice over, such as race or sex, to roles that they choose, such as religion or gender, the justification for allowing everyone to defy any particular social convention must be a rational cost-benefit assessment. Many people enjoy the ritual interactions specified by social roles; they are part of their identities and one of their terminal values.

  Not to mention that many social conventions serve a purpose beyond people enjoying them.

• The_Bird 29 Mar 2016 23:28 UTC

  −2 points

  in reply to: Viliam’s comment on: “3 Rea­sons It’s Ir­ra­tional to De­mand ‘Ra­tion­al­ism’ in So­cial Jus­tice Ac­tivism”

  my very existence is irrational = “my father disapproves of my lifestyle”

  In fact, one is inclined to suspect that he adopted his lifestyle largely to spite his father.

• The_Bird 23 Mar 2016 2:34 UTC

  −1 points

  in reply to: Stuart_Armstrong’s comment on: Ge­netic “Na­ture” is cul­tural too

  So, why were you calling reality “bizarre” again?

• The_Bird 23 Mar 2016 2:26 UTC

  2 points

  on: In Defence of Sim­ple Ideas That Ex­plain Every­thing But Are Wrong

  There’s always the classic:

  The lady down the street is a witch, she did it.