X-Message-Number: 17044
From: 
Date: Sat, 21 Jul 2001 11:29:08 EDT
Subject: Corbin & commons again

Continuing his defense of "real" altruism, Lee Corbin gives us another 
thought experiment, which is really just one of countless variations of the 
Problem of the Commons--Why should you (or not) do something that will 
inconvenience you at the moment but would benefit everyone if everyone made 
it a habit. 

In terms of enlightened (long term) self interest, one could make various 
kinds of calculations about the long term effect of your decision(s) on both 
yourself (your psyche) and others. Roughly, one could say that my 
"altrusitic" decision (if that is the one I make) is mainly to maintain my 
self-image as a decent person. (As to myself personally, it depends on my 
mood; sometimes I do one, sometimes the other.)

Lee also writes:

<< Also very feeble is the reason, "Well, I did it in 
 order to feel good."  Well, duh!  EVERYTHING that
 people do could be written off with such reasoning, >>

Lee is still missing the point. Smoke and mirrors with language is the sin of 
the traditonalists, not of those who claim that all (individual) interest is 
self interest. 

It is exactly, scientifically, objectively correct to say that every 
motivated act is done in order to feel good (or avoid feeling worse). This is 
obscured, but not negated, by the many difficulties and complications 
involved.

Obviously we have many wants or needs or goals or desires or ends, some of 
them in apparent conflict. We want to grab and we want to give. We want 
distinction (to be different and better) and we want community (to be the 
same or to belong). We want to preserve ourselves, and we want to sacrifice 
for others. We want to exert ourselves, and we want to rest. Etc. 

At present we know very little about correct strategy (based on the 
underlying biology), and do very little about correct tactics (based on 
decision theory). Everyone, including me and thee, is still a bumbling 
barbarian in this area. But you have to start with a willingness to question 
your habits and indoctrination, including some of the traditional uses of 
language.

Robert Ettinger
Cryonics Institute
Immortalist Society
http://www.cryonics.org

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