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The form of freedom he describes is just another form of what he's calling power, and he even admits to that in the article, when he writes: Freedom is the defe
by asveikau 7y ago
The form of freedom he describes is just another form of what he's calling power, and he even admits to that in the article, when he writes: Freedom is the defensive, or pre-emptive, form of power.
I have recently come to the realization that a lot of people seek or defend "freedom" as another form of power, and that is a very egotistical definition of freedom that has a lot of the same anxiety-inducing side-effects as the most vain power-seeking behaviors. Being free doesn't mean that you can't also yield to others and get over your selfishness. We should all have times, maybe lots of them, in which we yield to others and admit that many instances of our own personal notions of "freedom" are basically a whiny temper-tantrum when we fear not getting what we want.
- icebraining 7y agoWhy should one get over one's selfishness?
- asveikau 7y agoSelfishness will cause you anxiety and guilt. It will cause pain to others. It will make you a jerk. A society of jerks inflicting pain thrives less than one where we are appropriately empathetic and charitable to others. If you're going to argue against selfless empathy, etc. I suggest we have different axioms and this is not a discussion that will go well.
- jimbokun 7y agoYears ago, on another discussion forum, someone was asking why he shouldn’t act like other assholes he knew, who seemed to be doing fine. The top response to his question was: “Because then you’ll be an asshole.”