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Your summary literally doesn't even sound more stressful than the median American adult life. He has a job? He got married? He has taken psychiatric drugs befor

Your summary literally doesn't even sound more stressful than the median American adult life. He has a job? He got married? He has taken psychiatric drugs before? Some people don't like him? There exists social drama sort of nearby him? So what? These are incredibly superficial assessments. Why is the standard for donating a kidney that your life has to be, in the opinion of some bureaucrats who just met you, super chill? Nobody applies this standard to any other similarly-risky (i.e. not very risky) decision. The standard should be whether you are a person in sound mind who wants to donate it and is physically fit to donate it.

woodruffw 3y ago
The average American isn’t donating half of their kidneys, as the post points out. It’s entirely possible that the average American isn’t psychologically suited to do so without an extensive (and fallible) filtration process. But beyond that: the author is not an average American, and we both know that. Most Americans don’t find themselves in the NYT, or somewhat central to a large, wealthy controversial community that’s actively imploding.
- mquander 3y ago
  Why does being a minor celebrity mean you shouldn't donate your kidney? You don't think most Americans are "psychologically suited" to donate a kidney? Again, I don't think you would apply this level of paternalism to other situations. Would you tell the median person that they aren't "psychologically suited" to have a kid and therefore aren't allowed to? That's a dramatically more impactful and psychologically stressful decision, but we admit that the person best suited to make it is the person living it. I think you are just trying to justify a dumb bureaucratic decision that doesn't respect the suffering of people who actually need kidneys.
  - woodruffw 3y ago
    I didn’t say that. I think anybody should be able to donate their kidneys, provided that they are deemed competent to do so. Famous people and controversial people can be competent, and Scott almost certainly is. As a society, we treat organ donation differently because it comes with significant opportunity for abuse and regret. The sole point of my comment was to highlight how prominent EA writers can demonstrate a hypocritical blindness in a way that dispassionate observation can reveal. I’m not especially interested in UCSF’s actual decision.
    - mquander 3y ago
      OK, acknowledged.

woodruffw 3y ago

The average American isn’t donating half of their kidneys, as the post points out. It’s entirely possible that the average American isn’t psychologically suited to do so without an extensive (and fallible) filtration process. But beyond that: the author is not an average American, and we both know that. Most Americans don’t find themselves in the NYT, or somewhat central to a large, wealthy controversial community that’s actively imploding.

mquander 3y ago
Why does being a minor celebrity mean you shouldn't donate your kidney? You don't think most Americans are "psychologically suited" to donate a kidney? Again, I don't think you would apply this level of paternalism to other situations. Would you tell the median person that they aren't "psychologically suited" to have a kid and therefore aren't allowed to? That's a dramatically more impactful and psychologically stressful decision, but we admit that the person best suited to make it is the person living it. I think you are just trying to justify a dumb bureaucratic decision that doesn't respect the suffering of people who actually need kidneys.
- woodruffw 3y ago
  I didn’t say that. I think anybody should be able to donate their kidneys, provided that they are deemed competent to do so. Famous people and controversial people can be competent, and Scott almost certainly is. As a society, we treat organ donation differently because it comes with significant opportunity for abuse and regret. The sole point of my comment was to highlight how prominent EA writers can demonstrate a hypocritical blindness in a way that dispassionate observation can reveal. I’m not especially interested in UCSF’s actual decision.
  - mquander 3y ago
    OK, acknowledged.