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> don't aspire to be like Altman Aspire to be like Aaron Schwartz.
by SteveGerencser 2y ago
> don't aspire to be like Altman
Aspire to be like Aaron Schwartz.
- ponector 2y agoWhy should kids aspire to be like Aaron if it is not rewarded in our society? Comparing with such "kings" as Altman or Musk.
- barnabee 2y agoWhy should anyone aspire to do what is rewarded over what they believe in and what will satisfy them?
- gessha 2y agoNot everything virtuous is rewarded monetarily but we aspire to be virtuous, no?
- coliveira 2y agoModern society has stopped to aspire of being virtuous a long time ago. Unfortunately, that's nowadays a minority view.
- robotresearcher 2y agoAaron was not happy. Neither is Trump, or Musk. I don’t know if Bernie is happy, or AOC. Obama seems happy. Hilary doesn’t. Harris seems happy. Striving for good isn’t gonna be fun all the time, but when choosing role models I like to factor in how happy they seem. I’d like to spend some time happy.
- jncfhnb 2y agoI think it’s fairly crazy that you believe you have an authentic view into the happiness levels of these people.
- robotresearcher 2y agoI used the word ‘seem’ three times. I think it’s pretty unremarkable to report a personal impression without any claim of special insight.
- skeeter2020 2y agoIf human beings could be categorized as Happy/Not Happy the world would be a very boring place and life not worth living.
- ponector 2y agoMusk looks happy throwing his hand from the heart to the sun.
- cratermoon 2y agoTry to imagine a society where people only did things that were rewarded. Could such a society even exist? Thought experiment: make a list of all the jobs, professions, and vocations that are not rewarded in the sense you mean, and imagine they don't exist. What would be left?
- gus_massa 2y agoYou mean better pay for teachers? It would be nice. (Since we are dreaming, can I add sane hours for medical doctors (like <= 8 per day)?)
- cratermoon 2y agoTeachers, sure. But what about janitors & garbage collectors, paramedics, farm laborers, artists, librarians, musicians, case managers, religious/spiritual leaders?
- deleted 2y ago[deleted]
- ponector 2y agoI don't need to imagine. Teachers almost everywhere around the globe have poor salaries. In my country there are lower enrolment requirements to universities to become a school teacher than almost every other field of study. Means the dumbest students are there. And then later they go to the school to teach our future, working with high stress and low salary. Same with medical school in many countries where healthcare is not privatized. Insane hours, huge responsibilities and poor pay for doctors and nurses in many countries. Nowadays everyone wants to be an influencer or software developer.
- makapuf 2y agoFor teachers, sure. For medical doctors, in USA or Europe, I think they are much more paid than sw engineers.
- 2y ago
- CalRobert 2y agoWe need them to help us build a better society.
- uoaei 2y agoBecause kids' brains are not as poisoned into believing the most profitable things to do are the most meritorious. Not yet, anyway.
- skeeter2020 2y agoBecause only one person can be king, but everybody can participate and contribute. Also there's too many things out side of just being "the best" that decide who gets to be king. Often that person is a terrible leader.
- miramba 2y agoUpvoted not because I agree, but I think it‘s a valid question that shouldn‘t be greyed out. My kids dream job is youtube influencer, I don‘t like it but can I blame them? It‘s money for nothing and the chicks for free.
- ponector 2y agoTragedy of current days. No one wants to be a firefighter, astronaut or a doctor. Influencers everywhere! Can you blame kids? Do you know firefighters who earns million dollars annually?
- some_furry 2y ago(Except for the tragic ending, of course.)
- lukan 2y agoIf more would be like him, there might be a happy ending.
- some_furry 2y agoAgreed.
- ibejoeb 2y agoAaronSw exfiltrated data without authorization. You can argue the morality of that, but I think you could make the argument for OpenAI as well. I'm not opining on either, just pointing out the marked similarity here. edit: It appears I'm wrong. Will someone correct me on what he did?
- gessha 2y agoArguing for the morality of OpenAI is a little bit harder given their history and actions in the last few years.
- ibejoeb 2y agoOne argument would be means to an end, with the end being the initial advancement of AI. Again, I'm not offering an opinion on it.
- skeeter2020 2y agoThis is an argument, but isn't this where your scenario diverges completely? OpenAI's "means to an end" is further than you state; not initial advancement but the control and profit from AI.
- ibejoeb 2y agoYes, they intended for control and profit, but it's looking like they can't keep it under control and ultimately its advancements will be available more broadly. So, the argument goes that despite its intention, OpenAI has been one of the largest drivers of innovation in an emerging technology.
- ceejayoz 2y ago> edit: It appears I'm wrong. Will someone correct me on what he did? He didn't do it without authorization. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aaron_Swartz https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aaron_Swartz > Visitors to MIT's "open campus" were authorized to access JSTOR through its network.
- reaperman 2y ago* Swartz But yes.
- oooyay 2y agoI've read a lot about Aaron's time at Reddit / Not A Bug. I somewhat think his fame exceeds his actual accomplishments at times. He was perceived to be very hostile to his peers and subordinates. Kind of a cliche, but aspire to be the best version yourself every day. Learn from the successes and failures of others, but don't aspire to be anyone else because eventually you'll be very disappointed.
- bayindirh 2y agoThe gist is, when you find your biggest flaw, work on it, and repeat; you’ve already gone great distance.
- baudehlo 2y agoI knew Aaron back in my IRC days. He hung out with us to talk about RDF for a good couple of years. We chatted almost every day. He was lovely. And a genius. Maybe he changed, but he was a truly nice person.
- oooyay 2y agoYeah, definitely not a statement on Aaron himself. More a statement on idolizing people. There will always be instances where they didn't live up to what people think of them as. I think Aaron was fine and a normal human being.
- wongarsu 2y agoThat's what happens to martyrs. They become larger than life and history remembers an idealized version of them
- ddingus 2y agoIndeed
- _hcuq 2y agoDon't sell your soul, is all. But survive. This too will pass.