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timewizard 2y ago
> puff piece biography played into image of renaissance man and helped to elect him as shadow cardinal. I doubt that Isaacson was an important part of this strategy. People with the kind of money Musk has will lionize themselves and use whoever is convenient to achieve that. They're also capable of buying themselves into politics without even having to perform this step and you can be sure that Musk isn't the only one, just the most public of them. > Man without empathy who turned to be a personality disorder level manipulator. He clearly has empathy or he would not be particularly good at manipulation. > And how corrupted with power and money it may destroy the planet and all of us and have no remorse doing that. The typical Hacker News hyperbole may feel good to participate in but it only obscures the actual truth. Our current set of political challenges extend far beyond Musk and into much more powerful and well armed people. This is all a bizarre tech bro side show.
- tredre3 2y ago
  > He clearly has empathy or he would not be particularly good at manipulation. Understanding what empathy is, enough to use it against others, doesn't prove that he can feel it himself. I think that, by default, we should assume that he's not a sociopath because most people aren't. But your argument against it is duly unconvincing.
  - aspenmayer 2y ago
    > Understanding what empathy is, enough to use it against others, doesn't prove that he can feel it himself. One could also experience empathy and simply not care, or could even care but proceed in a self-interested manner all the same, which could be described as psychopathic as opposed to sociopathic.
  - timewizard 2y ago
    The definition of empathy is pretty narrow: "Empathy is generally described as the ability to take on another person's perspective, to understand, feel, and possibly share and respond to their experience." Understanding is required, sharing is not, and in particular, simply sharing in someones emotional state does not imply that your goal is to improve the outcome for the other person. It may actually be to deepen it to take advantage of it. Empathy does not imply any system of values or consciousness, although, I recognize it is often casually meant that way, that was not the definition I was using.
ZeroGravitas 2y ago
Ironic given his memo to CNN journalist selling them to not be mouthpieces for the Taliban and ensure that any reporting of death and destruction was "balanced". > "I want to make sure we're not used as a propaganda platform," Isaacson said in an interview yesterday. > "We're entering a period in which there's a lot more reporting and video from Taliban-controlled Afghanistan," he said. "You want to make sure people understand that when they see civilian suffering there, it's in the context of a terrorist attack that caused enormous suffering in the United States." https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/2001/10/31/cnn-chief-orders-balance-in-war-news/0953cacf-77a4-4801-b99b-41a730e43ca7/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/2001/10/31/...
comboy 2y ago
Did you actually read the book? And his other biographies? If yes then please explain what in your opinion makes it a puff piece.
mateus1 2y ago
This Angela Collier’s video about Feynman’s legacy also furthers yours point. He is an engaging and prolific writer but he does lean too much into the “great man-myth” figure of his subjects while underreporting their flaws. https://youtu.be/TwKpj2ISQAc?si=Cdx6VbCbO195PeHf https://youtu.be/TwKpj2ISQAc?si=Cdx6VbCbO195PeHf

[flagged]

> puff piece biography played into image of renaissance man and helped to elect him as shadow cardinal. I doubt that Isaacson was an important part of this strategy. People with the kind of money Musk has will lionize themselves and use whoever is convenient to achieve that. They're also capable of buying themselves into politics without even having to perform this step and you can be sure that Musk isn't the only one, just the most public of them. > Man without empathy who turned to be a personality disorder level manipulator. He clearly has empathy or he would not be particularly good at manipulation. > And how corrupted with power and money it may destroy the planet and all of us and have no remorse doing that. The typical Hacker News hyperbole may feel good to participate in but it only obscures the actual truth. Our current set of political challenges extend far beyond Musk and into much more powerful and well armed people. This is all a bizarre tech bro side show.

tredre3 2y ago
> He clearly has empathy or he would not be particularly good at manipulation. Understanding what empathy is, enough to use it against others, doesn't prove that he can feel it himself. I think that, by default, we should assume that he's not a sociopath because most people aren't. But your argument against it is duly unconvincing.
- aspenmayer 2y ago
  > Understanding what empathy is, enough to use it against others, doesn't prove that he can feel it himself. One could also experience empathy and simply not care, or could even care but proceed in a self-interested manner all the same, which could be described as psychopathic as opposed to sociopathic.
- timewizard 2y ago
  The definition of empathy is pretty narrow: "Empathy is generally described as the ability to take on another person's perspective, to understand, feel, and possibly share and respond to their experience." Understanding is required, sharing is not, and in particular, simply sharing in someones emotional state does not imply that your goal is to improve the outcome for the other person. It may actually be to deepen it to take advantage of it. Empathy does not imply any system of values or consciousness, although, I recognize it is often casually meant that way, that was not the definition I was using.

ZeroGravitas 2y ago

Ironic given his memo to CNN journalist selling them to not be mouthpieces for the Taliban and ensure that any reporting of death and destruction was "balanced". > "I want to make sure we're not used as a propaganda platform," Isaacson said in an interview yesterday. > "We're entering a period in which there's a lot more reporting and video from Taliban-controlled Afghanistan," he said. "You want to make sure people understand that when they see civilian suffering there, it's in the context of a terrorist attack that caused enormous suffering in the United States." https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/2001/10/31/cnn-chief-orders-balance-in-war-news/0953cacf-77a4-4801-b99b-41a730e43ca7/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/2001/10/31/...

comboy 2y ago

Did you actually read the book? And his other biographies? If yes then please explain what in your opinion makes it a puff piece.

mateus1 2y ago

This Angela Collier’s video about Feynman’s legacy also furthers yours point. He is an engaging and prolific writer but he does lean too much into the “great man-myth” figure of his subjects while underreporting their flaws. https://youtu.be/TwKpj2ISQAc?si=Cdx6VbCbO195PeHf https://youtu.be/TwKpj2ISQAc?si=Cdx6VbCbO195PeHf