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Hoped for a scientific study, got philosophical bla bla. Yes, there are people, probably the author as well, who are resilient to actually seeing facts. Just a

Hoped for a scientific study, got philosophical bla bla. Yes, there are people, probably the author as well, who are resilient to actually seeing facts. Just as the joke about fat people and zombie apocalypses go: Be nice to them, they will save your life one day (by being crushed before you, thereby giving you a little more time to react). Still I'm a little sad about the lost opportunity. It's also true that people who interact with reality usually are more pessimistic, but there should be ways to improve one's own outlook if one is smart enough to see reality and strong enough to not go crazy from it. This would be a worthy topic to study.

Bakary 7y ago
Ultimately even the people who supposedly "see reality" are just seeing a subjective mental model of it.
- narnianal 7y ago
  You probably have experienced two people fighting with each other, both only living in their own information bubble, both claiming to see the truth. I agree with you that your understanding goes deeper realizing that both are just as much true and untrue, and just as much good or bad. But now comes the strange part. From this higher understanding you can't gain any more happiness. In fact either of them might be more happy than you, because living in a bubble doesn't just contain fake truths, it also contains fake meaning, and the times in which they can believe in these fake meanings are the times where these people will be more happy than you. Thus you have more ability but less happiness. That's quite strange, right? Shouldn't more ability lead to more happiness? And if not, then why bother about having more ability?
  - AstralStorm 7y ago
    Because people who are less able are the ones who die in the crisis. (presuming they survive the onset) The resourceful ones live through. Do mind that being social is also an ability. As is being ruthless...
  - Bakary 7y ago
    The point I wanted to make was in fact that there is no such increase in ability. I was not claiming that I was able to see reality myself. On the contrary, it is most likely an impossible task. In absolute terms we are all on the same level of understanding as a homeless man ranting at the bus stop. The idea that we are tragically bereft of meaning because we are somehow too perceptive unlike those other people is an absurd fantasy.

Bakary 7y ago

Ultimately even the people who supposedly "see reality" are just seeing a subjective mental model of it.

narnianal 7y ago
You probably have experienced two people fighting with each other, both only living in their own information bubble, both claiming to see the truth. I agree with you that your understanding goes deeper realizing that both are just as much true and untrue, and just as much good or bad. But now comes the strange part. From this higher understanding you can't gain any more happiness. In fact either of them might be more happy than you, because living in a bubble doesn't just contain fake truths, it also contains fake meaning, and the times in which they can believe in these fake meanings are the times where these people will be more happy than you. Thus you have more ability but less happiness. That's quite strange, right? Shouldn't more ability lead to more happiness? And if not, then why bother about having more ability?
- AstralStorm 7y ago
  Because people who are less able are the ones who die in the crisis. (presuming they survive the onset) The resourceful ones live through. Do mind that being social is also an ability. As is being ruthless...
- Bakary 7y ago
  The point I wanted to make was in fact that there is no such increase in ability. I was not claiming that I was able to see reality myself. On the contrary, it is most likely an impossible task. In absolute terms we are all on the same level of understanding as a homeless man ranting at the bus stop. The idea that we are tragically bereft of meaning because we are somehow too perceptive unlike those other people is an absurd fantasy.