4 ms·
I didn't imply that people who have different values are better or worse than each other. I said that, according to a source which is cited on the Wikipedia pag
by thegeomaster 12y ago
I didn't imply that people who have different values are better or worse than each other. I said that, according to a source which is cited on the Wikipedia page for the topic of psychopathy, lack of empathy is often associated with the diagnosis of psychopathy. Lack of empathy doesn't translate directly into lack of dear friends, but my bet is that it's very deeply intertwined.
I still never implied that my values are better. Psychopaths, for example, often believe that their values and views of life are fine, and that the rest of the world is wrong. I can never say whether it's the psychopaths or the non-psychopaths who get it right. (Without rigorous testing, I can actually not reliably claim I am not a psychopath. For one, my empathy scores are moderately lower than male average.) If most of the world agrees that psychopathy should be treated, and the psychopaths say that it shouldn't, then it still doesn't mean that it ultimately has to be treated. I know this sounds like a ridiculous point, but no values can ever be said to be "better" than other values, because "good" is simply so ill-defined in that context. I'm not saying that the OP of the comment is a psychopath, far from it. What I am saying is that our nature instructs us to be empathic and care for our friends and family, and it's not clear to me what I would have to believe and feel to conclude that I care about computers more than I do about my friends.
- codexjourneys 12y agoMaybe computers were more interesting than friends because that person's friends weren't so great. I got really lucky in school with a good group of friends; my sister didn't get so lucky. One of the great things about going into a field (STEM or otherwise) and moving to a city of your choice is the opportunity to find like-minded people more easily. A random collection of friends in a particular town may or may not be more compelling than computers. If the friends aren't so good, maybe you could be a little down on people for a while -- without being a psychopath.
- lsc 12y ago>I still never implied that my values are better. Only if you seriously think you can use the psychopath diagnosis without judgment. I suppose that is possible? but it's pretty unlikely. Even if you are using it in a value-neutral way (and I don't believe you are) you are making a huge jump. For example, some people try to de-prioritize friendships because they have been badly hurt by friends in the past; this is far more likely to happen to a deeply empathetic person.