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> you do have to choose But that is precisely the point! Suppose, (as Barry Schwartz says) constraints are what drive choices we consider meaningful. Then, the

> you do have to choose But that is precisely the point! Suppose, (as Barry Schwartz says) constraints are what drive choices we consider meaningful. Then, the greater the convenience, the harder it becomes to make meaningful choices! Would spending time with family feel as meaningful as it does now if you were living inside the loop of "Groundhog day" and recreating the same evening over and over again? That is essentially immortality, as experienced in an unchanging world. > Or read a book. Or play with your kids... I don't know about the people you meet, but most people I meet seem to lament that it feels like they're getting less and less time for these things :-)

pdonis 7y ago
> Would spending time with family feel as meaningful as it does now if you were living inside the loop of "Groundhog day" and recreating the same evening over and over again? Who said that was the choice being offered? > That is essentially immortality, as experienced in an unchanging world. But we don't live in an unchanging world, so I don't see how any of this is relevant. > most people I meet seem to lament that it feels like they're getting less and less time for these things Is that because they're refusing to use automatic coffee makers and doing all their chores by hand? Or is it because they're using all the time freed up by automation on Facebook and Twitter instead of using it reading or playing with their kids?
TeMPOraL 7y ago
That line of thinking sounds a lot like trying to artificially induce meaningful experiences. I don't know if it generalizes to everyone, but once I'm aware I'm tricking myself into something, I don't find it meaningful at all. Also, "spending time with family" isn't meaningful per se. The meaning is in the details the phrase doesn't convey - the things you do together, the things you talk about, the emotions you feel. > most people I meet seem to lament that it feels like they're getting less and less time for these things :-) That's because we live in a competitive environment; the work really does expand to encompass all the time labour-saving inventions liberate - simply because some people choose to go "the extra mile" and everyone else suddenly has to follow suit, or risk being left behind.

pdonis 7y ago

> Would spending time with family feel as meaningful as it does now if you were living inside the loop of "Groundhog day" and recreating the same evening over and over again? Who said that was the choice being offered? > That is essentially immortality, as experienced in an unchanging world. But we don't live in an unchanging world, so I don't see how any of this is relevant. > most people I meet seem to lament that it feels like they're getting less and less time for these things Is that because they're refusing to use automatic coffee makers and doing all their chores by hand? Or is it because they're using all the time freed up by automation on Facebook and Twitter instead of using it reading or playing with their kids?

TeMPOraL 7y ago

That line of thinking sounds a lot like trying to artificially induce meaningful experiences. I don't know if it generalizes to everyone, but once I'm aware I'm tricking myself into something, I don't find it meaningful at all. Also, "spending time with family" isn't meaningful per se. The meaning is in the details the phrase doesn't convey - the things you do together, the things you talk about, the emotions you feel. > most people I meet seem to lament that it feels like they're getting less and less time for these things :-) That's because we live in a competitive environment; the work really does expand to encompass all the time labour-saving inventions liberate - simply because some people choose to go "the extra mile" and everyone else suddenly has to follow suit, or risk being left behind.