[extropy-chat] Fwd: CNN features amazing user with autism

[Stathis Papaioannou]

Psychopaths generally want to get on with people, to be accepted in a sense,
otherwise they would have no desire to gain money, power etc. It's just that
they don't care about other people's feelings. At the very least,
psychopaths who get into trouble can see it would be better if they didn't
have psychopathic tendencies, like someone who enjoys drugs or chocolate or
whatever might wish they didn't. Some psychopaths in power go to enormous
lengths to convince themselves and everyone else (on pain of death,
sometimes) that they are wonderful people, kind benefactors of humanity:
witness figures such as Stalin or Hitler. I think what this all means is
that on average, if the choice were available more people who are inclined
to be nasty would choose to be nice than nice people choose to be nasty,
because even most nasty people at tell themselves, or try to convince
others, that they are in fact nice.

Stathis Papaioannou


On 2/26/07, Anne Corwin <sparkle_robot at yahoo.com> wrote:
>
> You'd almost have to already be a psychopath to want to be a psychopath,
> since that personality type is one focused almost entirely on desiring to
> manipulate and use others toward their own ends with no regard for the
> personhood of those others.  I don't know if there's such a thing as a true
> psychopath that wishes they weren't one, since if you're already completely
> lacking in empathy and compassion, what could motivate you to wish for the
> ability to feel empathy or compassion?
>
> - Anne
>
> *Stathis Papaioannou <stathisp at gmail.com>* wrote:
>
>
>
> On 2/26/07, Anne Corwin <sparkle_robot at yahoo.com> wrote:
>
>
> > Jef said:
> >
> > "While it's fashionable and considered by some to be the height of
> > morality to argue that all preferences are equally valid, it is
> > morally indefensible."
> >
> > I don't think anyone was saying that "all preferences are equally
> > valid"...it's a long leap from suggesting that a preference or inclination
> > to interact with water is, perhaps, something that ought to be respected to
> > suggesting that everything any person might want to do is somehow valid and
> > worthy of defense.
> >
> > If someone has a preference for torturing small animals, it would of
> > course be reprehensible to defend this preference as valid.
>
>
> Thanks, that's what I meant. And an interesting question is, if everyone
> could *choose* their preferences, what would they choose? Would anyone
> actually decide they want to be a psychopath? Even many psychopaths I have
> met admit that life would have been easier if they had been different, but
> they are unfortunately stuck with who they are.
>
> Stathis Papaiaonnou
>
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