grafmax

25 ms·

361.
by grafmax 1y ago
I don’t say it was responsible. My argument is against Altman’s picture of progress. He argues that improvements in science and technology drive progress. My argument is that technology brings both positive and negative changes, and the deg
362.
by grafmax 1y ago
It’s somewhat misleading to claim that better care today is the reason for higher costs. Most other developed countries have some form of universal coverage and pay significantly less per person. That includes countries like England, German
363.
by grafmax 1y ago
That is because of China and US positions in the global system over this time. The wage/labor/inequality story is broadly true across the global north; China can credit forward thinking central planning, social programs, and indus
364.
by grafmax 1y ago
> Scientific progress is the biggest driver of overall progress > There will be very hard parts like whole classes of jobs going away, but on the other hand the world will be getting so much richer so quickly that we’ll be able to ser
365.
by grafmax 1y ago
The issue is whether a constraint is positive or negative. Choosing to handicap oneself, for example by wearing a blindfold, is an indeed a constraint with tangible and predictable effects, but these are negative effects. You can’t see what
366.
by grafmax 1y ago
I’m not denying it can have beneficial effects but only denying that it necessarily has beneficial effects. That’s why I pointed out that the studies in its favor are merely correlational and why I also list several negative effects it
367.
by grafmax 1y ago
These are merely correlational studies. Religion often makes people’s lives worse as well: sexual repression, homophobia, religious intolerance, fear of eternal damnation, misplaced guilt/shame, hours wasted on prayer/services&#x
368.
by grafmax 1y ago
Location, VC/bootstrapping, marriage all provide real-world tangible trade offs. Religion is an unverifiable claim made about supernatural entities.
369.
by grafmax 1y ago
Framing this as a moralized issue of “addiction” on the part of consumers naturalizes the structural cause of the problem. Concentrated wealth benefits from the cloud capital consumers generate. It’s this group that has most of the control
370.
by grafmax 1y ago
If the businesses are profiting the money is there. Organizing gives workers leverage to gain a larger portion of the profits they are generating for their employers.
371.
by grafmax 1y ago
The fact that companies pay these prices shows the money is there. The money is there because of the value these workers create.
372.
by grafmax 1y ago
Historically many unions were formed during times of mass automation. Unions don’t unilaterally drive up wages. They increase workers’ negotiating power. This is needed to help workers best navigate the times ahead. The time for tough decis
373.
by grafmax 1y ago
The point isn’t to delay the tech from arriving but to have better negotiating power when it fully arrives.
374.
by grafmax 1y ago
> Our jobs are just as much in tech’s line of fire as everybody else’s have been for the last 3 decades. We’re not East Coast dockworkers; we won’t stop progress on our own. If you really believe in the power of LLMs then it’s time to wa
375.
by grafmax 1y ago
Sat solving I guess because types encode proofs?
376.
by grafmax 1y ago
Republicans vs Democrats is indeed the wrong way to look at it. Both parties are beholden to the billionaire/corporate class. Democrats helped pave the way for Trump. Mass surveillance, extrajudicial killing of US citizens, militariza
377.
by grafmax 1y ago
Concentration of wealth is a concentration of power. We should hold accountable those with the deepest pockets and the greatest influence on climate policy: the fossil fuel cartel. Calls to cut government spending by withholding relief from
378.
by grafmax 1y ago
They are claiming that free markets are an expression of democratic principles. Free markets concentrate wealth and power. Concentration of wealth and power is antithetical to democracy.
379.
by grafmax 1y ago
No worries. I appreciate you explaining where you’re coming from. Take care.
380.
by grafmax 1y ago
My point was that culture does in fact inform our beauty standards. No reason to get defensive about it.
381.
by grafmax 1y ago
Those are all examples taken from actual cultures not fetishes. Unibrow: Tajikistan Crossed eyes: ancient Mayan culture Teeth blackening: Ohaguro etc Our modern globalized culture only gives us a tiny taste of what cultural diversity reall
382.
by grafmax 1y ago
That’s modern globalized cultural, which doesn’t really represent the expanse of human cultural diversity, and is heavily influenced by modern social and mass media. Think instead of examples such as lip plates, extreme fattening, crossed e
383.
by grafmax 1y ago
Standards of attractiveness vary significantly across cultures, so a simplistic biological perspective is misguided. It’s reasonable to argue that attraction is instinctive, but only if we acknowledge that our understanding of those instinc
384.
by grafmax 1y ago
Some things we can attribute to the Democrats: - Repeal of 1999 Glass-Stegall act, leading directly to the 2008 crisis - Biden’s support for fossil fuel (Willow Project) - Obama and Biden’s continued expansions of the mass surveillance stat
385.
by grafmax 1y ago
American society is in crisis and this crisis will likely continue to grow economically as well as due to larger effects on the horizon such as global warming. From a practical standpoint if we are serious about unseating the power of the b
386.
by grafmax 1y ago
Dems are the lesser of two evils. As long as we don’t have ranked choice voting, which requires a constitutional amendment, we will continue to vote in the servants of the billionaire class. Next time around, it may be the servants of the
387.
by grafmax 1y ago
Blaming human nature mystifies the power relations that shape society. Penny dreadfuls and yellow journalism were the result of the commodification of culture under capitalism. The internet failed to bring us together because it was shaped
388.
by grafmax 1y ago
A cadre of billionaires appears determined to institute fascism in the United States; there’s a very real chance they will succeed. Meanwhile, the climate crisis threatens the long-term survival of our species, yet efforts to steer us away
389.
by grafmax 1y ago
I think you’re overlooking the fact that our world - and the U.S. in particular - is sinking deeper and deeper into a deep crisis. No one knows exactly where this crisis will lead, but one thing is clear: everything around us is undergoing
390.
by grafmax 1y ago
They have other plans such as intimidating the judiciary. That’s just for starters. If you think the uphill battle of a constitutional amendment is going to save us I think you should pay closer attention to what’s been going on.

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