From: Jeff Bone (jbone@jump.net)
Date: Tue Sep 12 2000 - 16:38:11 PDT
> Selfish, selfish.
Objectivist, objectivist. ;-) Why is rational self-interest so demonized by
society? Our entire theories of economics and game theory are based on it. I
find that viewing all of life through an economic or game theoretic lens is
simplifying and leads to much greater satisfaction --- even in relationships.
Tom's "each others shoes" argument even starts to make sense, not for any fuzzy
reasons, but purely on game-theoretic / economic terms. The best of all possible
worlds is where somebody wants to give you exactly and everything you want, and
wants exactly and everything you have to give.
> Of course, that'll be interesting with giving 100% to both your spouse
> AND every one of your spawn, hmm?
>
I like that: spawn. Let's call it like it is. ;-)
>
> > I'm beginning to wonder how parents do it without their children
> > being absolutely undeveloped and psycho.
>
> What the heck makes you think they do? What the heck makes you think
> your parents did or their parents did? Look at the current state of
> sanity and our civilization.
Sold!
> But the debate devolves into the sci-fi Heinlein
> (Imagine what our neurotic/psychotic/ sociopathic mess will look like to
> behavioural and anthropological studies of the far distant future... if
> the future is full of free-loving hippies) or nihilistic abandon, or
> wide-eyed optimism and Hallmark sentiment.
I'll take neuro/psycho/social mess for 200, JTS. At least that has potential
entertainment value. I find nihilists tediously unfun, and I don't watch a lot
of PAX or Lifetime, so Hallmark's probably out.
> If I gave more than half an ounce of curiosity, I'd set up a FoRKpoll
> somewhere to register divorce rate in this community, this community's
> parents, and the marriage aspirations of this community as well.
Just for the record: my bad attitude about marriage is *despite* the fact that
my parents have a generally workable relationship, and they're about the only set
of parents among the folks I know that have stayed together and seem to like each
other most of the time. In my case, it's all about "once bitten, twice shy" on a
personal level. Plus a liberal helping of Heinlein and Rand.
;-)
jb
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