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I'll go further and state that the only reason this ignorance was dangerous to him was because he stupidly put himself in a situation where it could be. Everyo

by jlgreco 13y ago

I'll go further and state that the only reason this ignorance was dangerous to him was because he stupidly put himself in a situation where it could be. Everyone should know that the wilderness can be dangerous for countless reasons, that isn't really something you can be ignorant of. Not making an effort to eliminate ignorance before putting yourself in the path of danger is stupid. Put it this way, scuba diving is dangerous, everybody knows that. Furthermore, I am ignorant about diving gases and equipment; that stuff simply isn't something I know much about. This ignorance is not dangerous to me, because I have no intention of diving. If I did intend on diving, I would have to be stupid to not rectify my ignorance first.

scott_s 13y ago
I'm not sure you read the article. He did make an effort to reduce his ignorance. He was knowledgable on what was and was not edible. He had the same knowledge that everyone else had, prior to the investigation of his death. It is only after investigating his death that we know that eating those seeds, while in extreme caloric deficit, is dangerous.
- jlgreco 13y ago
  The point is that being in a situation where eating those seeds could be dangerous in the first place was the result of stupidity. "After subsisting for three months on a marginal diet of squirrels, porcupines, small birds, mushrooms, roots, and berries, he’d run up a huge caloric deficit and was teetering on the brink. By adding potato seeds to the menu, he apparently made the mistake that took him down. After July 30th, his physical condition went to hell, and three weeks later he was dead." Stupidly, he remained ignorant. That ignorance resulted in a weakened state, which allowed the seeds to be dangerous.
  - scott_s 13y ago
    He "remained" just as ignorant as the rest of us. You're still implying that if he had done more research, he could have found out that those seeds, in his condition, could kill him. He could not have. Yes, he took a risk. But I don't think it's a significantly different risk from other risky activities young men in their early 20s do, ranging from unusual sports to the military.
    - jlgreco 13y ago
      He was starving even without the seeds (it was only because he was starving already that the seeds did him in) because he did not actually know how to survive in the wild. Neither do I, but I am smart enough to know that and not attempt living in the wild.

by jlgreco 13y ago

scott_s 13y ago

I'm not sure you read the article. He did make an effort to reduce his ignorance. He was knowledgable on what was and was not edible. He had the same knowledge that everyone else had, prior to the investigation of his death. It is only after investigating his death that we know that eating those seeds, while in extreme caloric deficit, is dangerous.

jlgreco 13y ago
The point is that being in a situation where eating those seeds could be dangerous in the first place was the result of stupidity. "After subsisting for three months on a marginal diet of squirrels, porcupines, small birds, mushrooms, roots, and berries, he’d run up a huge caloric deficit and was teetering on the brink. By adding potato seeds to the menu, he apparently made the mistake that took him down. After July 30th, his physical condition went to hell, and three weeks later he was dead." Stupidly, he remained ignorant. That ignorance resulted in a weakened state, which allowed the seeds to be dangerous.
- scott_s 13y ago
  He "remained" just as ignorant as the rest of us. You're still implying that if he had done more research, he could have found out that those seeds, in his condition, could kill him. He could not have. Yes, he took a risk. But I don't think it's a significantly different risk from other risky activities young men in their early 20s do, ranging from unusual sports to the military.
  - jlgreco 13y ago
    He was starving even without the seeds (it was only because he was starving already that the seeds did him in) because he did not actually know how to survive in the wild. Neither do I, but I am smart enough to know that and not attempt living in the wild.