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Men aren't built to be happy. Men are built to be effective.

by 127 6y ago

majewsky 6y ago
As are women.
- AnIdiotOnTheNet 6y ago
  In the English language "Men" can also mean "human beings in general". Granted, this usage is a tiny bit archaic.
  - muffinman26 6y ago
    I assumed the gendered usage here was intended, since it's not a poem or a format where character count matters. Unfortunately it's ambiguous without further clarification.
dTal 6y ago
No need to drag sex into it.
- mmm_grayons 6y ago
  I'm pretty sure he was using "men" in the generic since, similar to "humans". That said, looking at stats like suicide rate reveals that a literal reading may be more correct.
  - dTal 6y ago
    I note you've assumed the poster is male. The "generic sense" of "men" to mean humans is sexist - blatantly so. It's also quickly becoming archaic, for this reason. Going out of your way to use it, instead of "people" or "humans" or "humanity", is now a statement.
golergka 6y ago
People, as any animals, aren't build "for" anything. Evolution doesn't have a brain or intentions, it's just a stochastic process that happens to prefer some traits over others in certain circumstances.
- 127 6y ago
  Evolution as a dynamic does build things that are able to reproduce.
  - golergka 6y ago
    On the simplest level. Direct reproduction is far from the only way to propel your genes. You can never have kids, but lead your ethnic group to win a genocidal war against its neighbours, and will be much more successful at it.
    - AnIdiotOnTheNet 6y ago
      With complex minds like those of human beings it can't even be reduced to just genetic survival. Memetic survival is often weighted just as much, if not more.
      - golergka 6y ago
        But then it's evolution of memes, not genes, which is a different evolution. Wait. Is this thread becoming a weak paraphrase of The Selfish Gene?
theelous3 6y ago
In this sense, nothing and nobody is "built to be happy" yet here I am, a perfectly happy man. I don't think there is much substance to be found here.
adolph 6y ago
happy != good
- onecommentman 6y ago
  The intersection of the set HAPPY and the set GOOD is not the null set. HAPPY is not necessarily a superset of GOOD, and GOOD is not necessarily a superset of HAPPY.

Men aren't built to be happy. Men are built to be effective.

by 127 6y ago

Men aren't built to be happy. Men are built to be effective.

majewsky 6y ago

As are women.

AnIdiotOnTheNet 6y ago
In the English language "Men" can also mean "human beings in general". Granted, this usage is a tiny bit archaic.
- muffinman26 6y ago
  I assumed the gendered usage here was intended, since it's not a poem or a format where character count matters. Unfortunately it's ambiguous without further clarification.

dTal 6y ago

No need to drag sex into it.

mmm_grayons 6y ago
I'm pretty sure he was using "men" in the generic since, similar to "humans". That said, looking at stats like suicide rate reveals that a literal reading may be more correct.
- dTal 6y ago
  I note you've assumed the poster is male. The "generic sense" of "men" to mean humans is sexist - blatantly so. It's also quickly becoming archaic, for this reason. Going out of your way to use it, instead of "people" or "humans" or "humanity", is now a statement.

golergka 6y ago

People, as any animals, aren't build "for" anything. Evolution doesn't have a brain or intentions, it's just a stochastic process that happens to prefer some traits over others in certain circumstances.

127 6y ago
Evolution as a dynamic does build things that are able to reproduce.
- golergka 6y ago
  On the simplest level. Direct reproduction is far from the only way to propel your genes. You can never have kids, but lead your ethnic group to win a genocidal war against its neighbours, and will be much more successful at it.
  - AnIdiotOnTheNet 6y ago
    With complex minds like those of human beings it can't even be reduced to just genetic survival. Memetic survival is often weighted just as much, if not more.
    - golergka 6y ago
      But then it's evolution of memes, not genes, which is a different evolution. Wait. Is this thread becoming a weak paraphrase of The Selfish Gene?

theelous3 6y ago

In this sense, nothing and nobody is "built to be happy" yet here I am, a perfectly happy man. I don't think there is much substance to be found here.

adolph 6y ago

happy != good

onecommentman 6y ago
The intersection of the set HAPPY and the set GOOD is not the null set. HAPPY is not necessarily a superset of GOOD, and GOOD is not necessarily a superset of HAPPY.