3 ms·
This is useless and lazy nihilism
by etrautmann 2y ago
This is useless and lazy nihilism
- timr 2y agoArguing that travel you don't like is unnecessary because it harms the environment? Yes, that is useless and lazy nihilism. OP is arguing that observed preferences are far more reliable indicators of what people actually value than what people say to surveyors/the press/reddit/HN. That's not "nilhilism", it's just a fact. Presumably, academics travel to conferences because they're getting value out of it, and they deem that value worth whatever costs they believe it incurs.
- etrautmann 2y agoI was in and among that set for the last 12 years. Plenty of people travel for fun because someone else is paying. Many conferences are nowhere near a central location and instead are in somewhere exotic because one of the organizers wanted it there. This never sat well with me, but is completely standard and almost never questioned.
- timr 2y agoSure, ok. Let's posit that the value they're getting is that they enjoy travel, and wish to do it. My response is the same.