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> I doubt that peoples' capacity for willpower has changed, but that the exercise of that capacity has. You say this so matter-of-factly but it's actually quit
by trgv 9y ago
> I doubt that peoples' capacity for willpower has changed, but that the exercise of that capacity has.
You say this so matter-of-factly but it's actually quite a claim. I think people are right to call you on it.
I understand there is a general feeling that past generations "made do with less" and "had greater moral fiber" and so on, but I'm also a little suspicious of that kind of thinking.
- vacri 9y agoYeah, "I doubt that" is a claim set in concrete that requires support, whereas "A possibility" requires no support for any claim at all. I made no claim about greater moral fiber, but if you think that past generations didn't "make do with less", you're now making an extraordinary against-the-grain claim. So, "give us a citation proving why you should be suspicious of that comment". See how annoying that is?