3 ms·

A useful rule that I came across a while ago is "ask yourself before doing something (such as picking a flower in the wild), what would happen if a 100 other pe

A useful rule that I came across a while ago is "ask yourself before doing something (such as picking a flower in the wild), what would happen if a 100 other people did the same thing?". The answer should usually be "don't do that thing"

knewter 3y ago
Kant's categorical imperative
- megmogandog 3y ago
  Sorry to be pedantic, but the categorical imperative is not about reasoning from the consequences of an action if everyone did it. It's about testing whether it's even possible for you to will the maxim of your action as a universal law without contradiction, or to what extent your action respects the rational agency of other humans. You could make the Kant-inspired argument that taking a limited resource for your private enjoyment does deprive others of their agency, but it's not Kantian to say "it's wrong to take the fossils because then there will be no more fossils."
  - Tao3300 3y ago
    See, I know you're lying because a pedant is never sorry.
    - megmogandog 3y ago
      I guess it would've been more honest to say "sorry to seem pedantic," because for me the comment was not mere pedantry (which I think of as hairsplitting for the sake of hairsplitting) but rather a matter of a fundamental distinction in moral philosophy (consequentialist vs. deontological ethics). I mean, philosophy has a reputation for just that kind of hairsplitting but this seems to bear pretty directly on the basic ethical question of "What should I do?", one of the most important questions for humans to ask imo
pavel_lishin 3y ago
I try to remind my kid of that every so often, when the opportunity comes up.
jfoutz 3y ago
A friend, college educated responsible adult, went to the petrified forest in Arizona. Park ranger gave the whole talk about how rare and special these rocks are, and how they're disappearing because people are stealing them. The ranger indicated there might not be a park in the future, because so much is going missing. She had an immediate impulse to steal a rock. She claims she didn't act on it, and I believe her. I think there's some inherit psychology that's tough to get around, some "I better grab one while I still can" deep down part of our reptile brain. People are still animals. Out on vacation they may not be fully engaging their critical thinking skills. I think, far and away, the most effective preservation is Pele's curse - https://www.hawaii-guide.com/why-you-should-never-take-lava-rocks-from-hawaii https://www.hawaii-guide.com/why-you-should-never-take-lava-... Total fabrication by the parks service. They show you the rocks people have sent back, to lift the curse. If you're fully engaged and thinking critically, it's harmless. If you're not, it encourages good behavior. I'm not a big fan of marketing, but the way you tell the story really does have a huge impact on guest behavior.
- dreamcompiler 3y ago
  > She had an immediate impulse to steal a rock FWIW, Jim Gray's Petrified Wood Company has a vast supply of this stuff you can buy and take home. It's right down the road in Holbrook. Very interesting store even if you're not planning to buy anything. (No working website that I could find. Google it. I have no connection with them.)
kodah 3y ago
I have a lot of flowers that grow out front of my house. If you pick my tulips, daffodils, roses, or lillies then I'll be mad because they're pretty, short-lived, and for pollinators. I go to great lengths to have blooming flowers almost year round and a great deal of planning goes into that. One flower dying prematurely or going missing isn't a big deal, but if everyone picked a flower then the great deal of pollinators my property attracts would be impacted in some small way each time, and the pollinators play a key role in the micro-ecosystem of my yard. I do my best not to disturb them. If you rip up the bulbs for your own I'll be doubly mad because you're just selfish at that point. Go buy your own bulbs like I did, or better yet foster a yard where bulbs multiply. On the other hand, nature isn't so delicate. My ground cover has smaller blooms most the year and provide the pollinators with much more abundance and resiliency to what people or animal might do to my "prettier" flowers. It's difference between O(n) impact to O(log n) impact.
tomrod 3y ago
Take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but footprints.
Tao3300 3y ago
> what would happen if a 100 other people did the same thing? The answer should usually be "don't do that thing" Or "do it now and get the money before they do"

knewter 3y ago

Kant's categorical imperative

megmogandog 3y ago
Sorry to be pedantic, but the categorical imperative is not about reasoning from the consequences of an action if everyone did it. It's about testing whether it's even possible for you to will the maxim of your action as a universal law without contradiction, or to what extent your action respects the rational agency of other humans. You could make the Kant-inspired argument that taking a limited resource for your private enjoyment does deprive others of their agency, but it's not Kantian to say "it's wrong to take the fossils because then there will be no more fossils."
- Tao3300 3y ago
  See, I know you're lying because a pedant is never sorry.
  - megmogandog 3y ago
    I guess it would've been more honest to say "sorry to seem pedantic," because for me the comment was not mere pedantry (which I think of as hairsplitting for the sake of hairsplitting) but rather a matter of a fundamental distinction in moral philosophy (consequentialist vs. deontological ethics). I mean, philosophy has a reputation for just that kind of hairsplitting but this seems to bear pretty directly on the basic ethical question of "What should I do?", one of the most important questions for humans to ask imo

pavel_lishin 3y ago

I try to remind my kid of that every so often, when the opportunity comes up.

jfoutz 3y ago

A friend, college educated responsible adult, went to the petrified forest in Arizona. Park ranger gave the whole talk about how rare and special these rocks are, and how they're disappearing because people are stealing them. The ranger indicated there might not be a park in the future, because so much is going missing. She had an immediate impulse to steal a rock. She claims she didn't act on it, and I believe her. I think there's some inherit psychology that's tough to get around, some "I better grab one while I still can" deep down part of our reptile brain. People are still animals. Out on vacation they may not be fully engaging their critical thinking skills. I think, far and away, the most effective preservation is Pele's curse - https://www.hawaii-guide.com/why-you-should-never-take-lava-rocks-from-hawaii https://www.hawaii-guide.com/why-you-should-never-take-lava-... Total fabrication by the parks service. They show you the rocks people have sent back, to lift the curse. If you're fully engaged and thinking critically, it's harmless. If you're not, it encourages good behavior. I'm not a big fan of marketing, but the way you tell the story really does have a huge impact on guest behavior.

dreamcompiler 3y ago
> She had an immediate impulse to steal a rock FWIW, Jim Gray's Petrified Wood Company has a vast supply of this stuff you can buy and take home. It's right down the road in Holbrook. Very interesting store even if you're not planning to buy anything. (No working website that I could find. Google it. I have no connection with them.)

kodah 3y ago

I have a lot of flowers that grow out front of my house. If you pick my tulips, daffodils, roses, or lillies then I'll be mad because they're pretty, short-lived, and for pollinators. I go to great lengths to have blooming flowers almost year round and a great deal of planning goes into that. One flower dying prematurely or going missing isn't a big deal, but if everyone picked a flower then the great deal of pollinators my property attracts would be impacted in some small way each time, and the pollinators play a key role in the micro-ecosystem of my yard. I do my best not to disturb them. If you rip up the bulbs for your own I'll be doubly mad because you're just selfish at that point. Go buy your own bulbs like I did, or better yet foster a yard where bulbs multiply. On the other hand, nature isn't so delicate. My ground cover has smaller blooms most the year and provide the pollinators with much more abundance and resiliency to what people or animal might do to my "prettier" flowers. It's difference between O(n) impact to O(log n) impact.

tomrod 3y ago

Take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but footprints.

Tao3300 3y ago

> what would happen if a 100 other people did the same thing? The answer should usually be "don't do that thing" Or "do it now and get the money before they do"