[ExI] People are Genuine Altruists, Sociopaths, or Confused/Moody

Harvey Newstrom mail at HarveyNewstrom.com
Mon Sep 15 03:10:37 UTC 2008


>"Lee Corbin" <lcorbin at rawbw.com> wrote,
> Well, we should perhaps strive to avoid the word "altruism", since
> its use seeds confusion. What I am saying is that in these special
> circumstances it cannot be well argued that so paying would be
> in the payer's self interest (modulo the conscience note again).

You're fixing the wrong problem.  The word "altruism" is fine.  There is no 
confusion.  I really am arguing that the tipper is paying for services 
rendered.  The tipper literally gets something for their money.  You keep 
thinking I must be misunderstanding the question, and you keep asking the 
same question over and over in different ways.  But, seriously, this is my 
answer.  Tipping is not charity.  It is paying for services rendered.

> More importantly, I do not believe that you grok my meaning of 
> "simulation". I will explain again, by a hypothetical.

No, don't explain again.  I grok just fine.  You keep asking the same 
question and clarifying the same question and inventing new thought 
experiments about the same question.  It's always the same question.  Why 
can't you accept that the answer is always going to be the same?

> do you really think it makes sense to "pay back" people who have
> been nice to you (when there is utterly no possibility of future 
> encounters with them where the simulation will hold a grudge)?

Yes, yes, and yes!  Again, yes!  I pay them back because I owe them.  Not 
because they will hold a grudge.  Not because I will be caught or punished 
later.  Not because I might encounter them again.  None of those 
considerations enter my mind.  Even if I never see them again, I pay back 
what I owe.  They show kindness to me, I show kindness to them.  They give 
me extra service, I give them extra pay.  All of these examples involve me 
paying for something I have received.  It is a fair exchange of goods and 
services.

Every time you ask the same question, you are going to get the same answer.

--
Harvey Newstrom <www.HarveyNewstrom.com>
CISSP CISA CISM CIFI GSEC IAM ISSAP ISSMP ISSPCS IBMCP





More information about the extropy-chat mailing list