tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740787063649889480.post8005896624400768410..comments2024-02-16T05:17:21.690-05:00Comments on No Moods, Ads or Cutesy Fucking Icons (Reloaded).: Motherhood IssuesPeter Wattshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06160557746794936786noreply@blogger.comBlogger58125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740787063649889480.post-73249897517149648082009-03-16T09:09:00.000-04:002009-03-16T09:09:00.000-04:00A lot of human behavior doesn't make sense, you ca...A lot of human behavior doesn't make sense, you can say just the same thing about people who are in love with each other. they might ignore the drawbacks of the other person, often to the point of signing up to a relationship where they support a person who is leeching off them.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740787063649889480.post-47732493472726516742007-10-26T05:26:00.000-04:002007-10-26T05:26:00.000-04:00PKoyGe Your blog is great. Articles is interesting...PKoyGe Your blog is great. Articles is interesting!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740787063649889480.post-79038718395207823822007-07-02T00:23:00.000-04:002007-07-02T00:23:00.000-04:00I did read through all the posts. I'm assuming tha...<I>I did read through all the posts. I'm assuming that you agree with part of your "modest proposal" despite the fact you take it to the extreme later. I mean, why spend the time and energy to write a post if there isn't a degree of commitment to the thesis? <BR/></I><BR/>For largely reactionary purposes: reproductive restraint is still considered so anomalous in this society that the childless Peter Wattshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06160557746794936786noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740787063649889480.post-39450595104366000102007-06-24T20:45:00.000-04:002007-06-24T20:45:00.000-04:00Hi, Peter. Thanks for replying. Someone linked t...Hi, Peter. Thanks for replying. <BR/><BR/>Someone linked to your blog entry over at Asimov's and so that's how I found your blog. I didn't realize the thread was long dead until I posted. <BR/><BR/>I did read through all the posts. I'm assuming that you agree with part of your "modest proposal" despite the fact you take it to the extreme later. I mean, why spend the time and energy to write Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740787063649889480.post-26734335656693065262007-06-24T00:18:00.000-04:002007-06-24T00:18:00.000-04:00Hi Elizabeth. Welcome to the party. Didn't think...Hi Elizabeth. Welcome to the party. Didn't think anyone was still hanging around down here,<BR/><BR/><B>Elizabeth</B> said... <BR/><BR/><I>I'm disappointed. I expect more from the writer of Blindsight and other great novels. It's a good thing I read your fiction before reading this blog. :)<BR/></I><BR/>Well, <I>Blindsight</I> took me years to write. These crawl entries I generally dash off Peter Wattshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06160557746794936786noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740787063649889480.post-14438640654297845642007-06-23T15:41:00.000-04:002007-06-23T15:41:00.000-04:00"genes build us to protect the datastream. The onl...<I>"genes build us to protect the datastream. The only reason we exist is to replicate that information and keep it moving into the future. It's a drive as old as life itself. But here's the thing: rutting and reproduction are not the traits we choose to exhalt ourselves for. It's not sprogs, but spirit, that casts us in God's image. What separates us from the beasts of the field is our minds, Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740787063649889480.post-56499621842996061142007-06-05T11:08:00.000-04:002007-06-05T11:08:00.000-04:00Anonymous said some things that deserve a response...<B>Anonymous</B> said some things that deserve a response:<BR/><BR/><I>I'm not going to read through all of it, and thus I'm not able to. Don't get me wrong, I was just going to post something but then I saw Peter's comment: "Dude, read the upstream comments. Been there, done that, way early.<BR/><BR/>Eeep.<BR/><BR/></I>I hope that didn't come across as rude; I am, frequently, but I like to Peter Wattshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06160557746794936786noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740787063649889480.post-31232616164692443322007-06-03T20:04:00.000-04:002007-06-03T20:04:00.000-04:00One small adjustment to my earlier comment. While...One small adjustment to my earlier comment. While all of us, irrespective of condition or situation, are subject to a number of influences that affect our judgment (I won't say *distort* our judment, since I repudiate the very notion of a pristine, rational, unaffected mode of judgment), there are categories into which these influences can be classed, and some such classifications are relevant.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740787063649889480.post-55103300189261463322007-06-02T23:47:00.000-04:002007-06-02T23:47:00.000-04:00I'd love to take part in this debate (if you can c...I'd love to take part in this debate (if you can call a bunch of people who are more or less agreeing with each other a debate), but I'm not going to read through all of it, and thus I'm not able to. Don't get me wrong, I was just going to post something but then I saw Peter's comment:<BR/><BR/><I>Dude, read the upstream comments. Been there, done that, way early.</I><BR/><BR/>Eeep. <BR/><BR/>On Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740787063649889480.post-28782279375142280872007-05-31T00:45:00.000-04:002007-05-31T00:45:00.000-04:00A bit off topic, but I can justify it by noting th...A bit off topic, but I can justify it by noting that working for someone else who can be ascribed responsibility fucks up your decision making ability.<BR/><BR/>There's a case hitting the headlines here in NZ right now, albeit and with a very low signal-to-noise ratio due to the hysterical coverage. A power company's contractor shut down the power supply of a family who had not paid their bills Brett Dhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01545104833037581797noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740787063649889480.post-68591465963007965242007-05-27T17:18:00.000-04:002007-05-27T17:18:00.000-04:00The Great Optimist said:Yeah, but who gets to be o...<B>The Great Optimist</B> said:<BR/><I>Yeah, but who gets to be on the review panel? (One minor advantage of giving the nod to the voluntarily sterilised is that the opportunity for nepotism in such cases would be diminished.)</I><BR/><BR/>I was kinda thinking the dontgiveashit herself* would form the review panel, in a kind of introspection thing. I didn't really think that through very far.<BRTheBrummellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08973380652057861796noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740787063649889480.post-74346027172852614372007-05-27T00:26:00.000-04:002007-05-27T00:26:00.000-04:00Riffing on the suicide bombers observation and raz...Riffing on the suicide bombers observation and razorsmile's thoughts upstream, why not just tweak the subroutines of our dear leaders to project that ol' parental lovin' on the folks that elected them?<BR/><BR/>Vote for me and I'll do everything in my power to protect and ensure the good life for you. Everyone else, well, best of luck to you. <BR/> <BR/>Maybe this could come in varying degrees Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740787063649889480.post-39507739797953009052007-05-26T14:35:00.000-04:002007-05-26T14:35:00.000-04:00The Mighty Brum grabs the bull by the balls withOb...<B>The Mighty Brum</B> grabs the bull by the balls with<BR/><BR/><I>Obviously, we now have the problem of who decides those goals, but those goals could be up for review every so often once our dispassionate anti-dynasty gets rolling.</I><BR/><BR/>Yeah, but who gets to be on the review panel? (One minor advantage of giving the nod to the voluntarily sterilised is that the opportunity for Peter Wattshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06160557746794936786noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740787063649889480.post-37207213017391209532007-05-26T14:27:00.000-04:002007-05-26T14:27:00.000-04:00Nick pointed outWhy assume that parenthood is the ...<B>Nick</B> pointed out<BR/><BR/><I>Why assume that parenthood is the only thing that'll have that effect? Sheer age can do it...</I><BR/><BR/>Dude, read the upstream comments. Been there, done that, way early.Peter Wattshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06160557746794936786noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740787063649889480.post-91731506815428174002007-05-26T14:26:00.001-04:002007-05-26T14:26:00.001-04:00Razorsmile saysSo the solution isn't altered consc...<B>Razorsmile</B> says<BR/><BR/><I>So the solution isn't altered conscience or lack of emotion; it's a being that is incapable of putting any one (or one hundred or one million) people above the needs of the species (or the planet). It also would have to be utterly unassailable in a physical sense; the alternative is human hordes wanting their "free will" and "self-determination" back so they canPeter Wattshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06160557746794936786noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740787063649889480.post-43780172870891614132007-05-26T14:26:00.000-04:002007-05-26T14:26:00.000-04:00Raymond weighs in with,this hypothetical doesn'tgi...<B>Raymond</B> weighs in with,<BR/><BR/><I>this hypothetical doesn'tgiveashit would still need to have the bias of giving enough of a shit to do a good job</I><BR/><BR/>I don't think I'd describe the desire to do a good job as a "bias"; being "biased towards the truth" is an oxymoron. The whole point of bias is that it skews you <I>away</I> from the truth. Not all motivators are biases.<BR/><BRPeter Wattshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06160557746794936786noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740787063649889480.post-70041031707961981872007-05-26T14:25:00.000-04:002007-05-26T14:25:00.000-04:00Steve points out:Anyway, the argument is that thos...<B>Steve</B> points out:<BR/><BR/><I>Anyway, the argument is that those who are unable to empathize are fundamentally lacking pertinent information in the decision making process.</I><BR/><BR/>And <B>Nick</B> goes further:<BR/><BR/><I>So personally I'd consider sprog-related feelings to be one of those things that ties humanity to the rest of life on Earth; a thing we share with everything else (Peter Wattshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06160557746794936786noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740787063649889480.post-47026444862450921932007-05-25T19:48:00.000-04:002007-05-25T19:48:00.000-04:00If power is desireable for its own sake...Big if. ...<I>If power is desireable for its own sake</I>...<BR/><BR/>Big if. That assumes a bias towards power. Common enough biological imperative, we all know, but frankly I'd be more willing to entertain the notion of a chemically (or biologically) enforced bias towards completion and accuracy. Easier to keep track of.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740787063649889480.post-71030842409057983452007-05-25T15:08:00.000-04:002007-05-25T15:08:00.000-04:00#40!Revisiting my comment earlier, I do acknowledg...#40!<BR/>Revisiting my comment earlier, I do acknowledge that I consider my daughter my shot at genetic immortality, so I feel I have a incentive to see she does well.<BR/><BR/>As to the wife and her 'subroutines overrunning the buffer,' I've been told that I'm easier to deal with because I can step back and say "Hmm." T takes it as an indictment of her ability as a mother.Strannikhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16087783366276504178noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740787063649889480.post-16723466781506474702007-05-25T14:30:00.000-04:002007-05-25T14:30:00.000-04:00It seems pretty much everyone here agrees with the...It seems pretty much everyone here agrees with the basic premise that one's thinking processes, one's rationality, are negatively impacted by becoming a parent. In other words, parents are insane, probably temporarily.<BR/><BR/>Thus, there is a cost of parenthood that is well-known already, but a connection between the effects of this cost and social decision-making has not been made in probablyTheBrummellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08973380652057861796noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740787063649889480.post-28091473429457301862007-05-25T06:20:00.000-04:002007-05-25T06:20:00.000-04:00Hi there, im new to these threads. i have only be...Hi there, im new to these threads. i have only been able to read half of this thread due to being at work so i dont know if this has been suggested but hearing is my opening salvo:<BR/><BR/>a solution:<BR/><BR/>donate your gametes!<BR/>get someone else to have your kids!<BR/>become a darwinian winner whilst maintaining high processor functions and rational decision making capabilities.<BR/><BR/>tobiashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15532371829872272855noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740787063649889480.post-69994536860215440042007-05-24T14:41:00.000-04:002007-05-24T14:41:00.000-04:00Children really are the best drug!Yup.huh. Don't s...Children really <I>are</I> the best drug!<BR/><BR/>Yup.<BR/><BR/>huh. Don't seem to have any else to say...<BR/>;)eileenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04631926661373911037noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740787063649889480.post-8723057760995604682007-05-24T06:06:00.000-04:002007-05-24T06:06:00.000-04:00And you're right. By Darwinian standards, you are ...<I><BR/>And you're right. By Darwinian standards, you are a success, and I am a pathetic loser.<BR/></I><BR/><BR/>Yeah, but by Dawkinian standards you're way ahead of most of us.<BR/><BR/><I><BR/>And if we do want to avoid extinction, we better start transcending natural selection before it does us in along with the other 95% of species that never made it this far.<BR/></I><BR/><BR/>It occurs to TonyChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01077514921942242350noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740787063649889480.post-87729692100650964892007-05-24T02:55:00.000-04:002007-05-24T02:55:00.000-04:00Why assume that parenthood is the only thing that'...Why assume that parenthood is the only thing that'll have that effect? Sheer age can do it. I've noticed that as I passed the age of about 25, in addition to acquiring paternal feelings regardless of sprogged state (finding babies cute, for instance: mental illness, sure!) the thing bleeds into *other* relatives. e.g. I'm fairly sure that I wouldn't hesitate to die or suffer serious injury to Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740787063649889480.post-36647599698141754412007-05-24T01:18:00.000-04:002007-05-24T01:18:00.000-04:00peter watts sed: How would you all react to the su...<B>peter watts</B> sed: <I>How would you all react to the suggestion that a perfect lack of desire is exactly what we need? That having </I>any <I>personal stake in an outcome, by definition, introduces bias and compromises judgment? That the</I> last<I> people you want to make decisions are those with a stake in them, that the ideal arbiter is someone with no stake at all, someone who </I>just razorsmilehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17741327069258643030noreply@blogger.com