Unite the Right

[Kazmyr]

Fortunately, healthy human beings have an ingrained sense of empathy and joy, when helping others.

I get the argument that you're making, but any intelligent person will quickly realize that hedonism leads to a cardboard box under a bridge somewhere, eventually. It's scary taking off the security blanket of dogma, but that's what the universe is. Find a way to deal with it, or the cognitive dissonance will destroy you.

Stalin was a sociopath of the highest order, and an absolute ruler. I don't think you need to worry about many people finding themselves free to destroy civilizations on a whim.

No, don't need to always worry about people ready to destroy civilizations on a whim, but you need to bear in mind that you're more likely people ready to destroy on a much smaller scale.

Sure, people may have an ingrained sense of 'good' reward when helping others, but there's nothing stopping them from easily developing a learned, conditioned response to harming others, as well. This is the problem with nihilism. Intelligent people can draw the 'optimisitc conclusion' that the video advocates for, but they can just as easily, if not more readily, draw the opposite conclusion from nihilism. That's the danger of this; you have that much latitude when developing your outlook on life, it can go really bad, really quickly.

Btw, the bolded part? That doesn't match up with the optimistic nihilism from the video. That's anything goes. What you said there is not.
Do whatever feels good is exactly hedonism. You're advocating, not that people take off a security blanket of dogma, but rather put one on: feels good? DO IT. Who gives shit what the effect on everyone else is?

JBP would absolutely NOT advocate for this. This is simply giving into chaos, but justifying a lack of responsibility of nihilism. When you point out that hedonism will 'lead to a cardboard box,' that is completely antithetical to 'optimisitc nihilism.' That advocates for understanding responsibility and suffering, facing that, and voluntarily sacrificing self-indulgence. Why do that? Because your action does matter, to yourself (and your own well-being), to others, and even to society at large. I know you have a grim view of the working life, but because that 'drudgery' as you would call it, it's given me opportunities to explore some of the greatest moments of my life to date.

[SuburbanFarmer]

You didn't answer the question. Potential doesn't mean "is". Talent isn't IQ etc. But lets not get into a "what is intelligence" debate. Its tiresome. Sure you can decide to be a sociopath and I can decide to kill you because of that behavior. And?

I believe that line of thinking is not helpful. Its a gloomy narrative at best. Its not useful enough.

Well, then perhaps we should develop some moral thinking without religious dogma and "Because God Said So", because if you really believe that's the only thing keeping people in line, then we are pretty fucked. That's much more pessimistic than my view, or that of the video.

I don't think people need religious dogma. But they need a narrative and/or something sacred to believe in. Generally, yes it centers you.

I'm very familiar with the security blanket of religious thinking - I was raised that way. That feeling of certainty and The Word is very comfortable, and provides a feeling of purpose.

However, it's also very limiting when confronted with the lightning pace of human knowledge.

[apeman]

You need to recognize your own capacity to do great evil.

I struggle with this, when seeing videos of torture or historical accounts of genocide. I know, objectively, that as a human being, I am fully capable of this behavior. Yet, I really can't comprehend myself carrying out those acts under any circumstance, other than directly against someone threatening my children. One of the great mysteries of human psychology, for sure.

Yeah it is, and the smart and rational are dangerous, because, under the right circumstances, they can convince themselves that a little bit of evil will do a whole lot of good, and it turns out we are really really bad at making those judgment calls

[Kazmyr]

Yeah it is, and the smart and rational are dangerous, because, under the right circumstances, they can convince themselves that a little bit of evil will do a whole lot of good, and it turns out we are really really bad at making those judgment calls

As we're currently seeing right now. Way to bring it full circle.

[DBTrek]

[apeman]

[doc_loliday]

It is kind of strange that when terrorists started attacking us, there were many that started to say, "we need to find out why they hate us," and perhaps rightfully so, but when their own own countrymen begin to radically turn on them, their response became "there can be no discussion, they must be destroyed."

[apeman]

It is kind of strange that when terrorists started attacking us, there were many that started to say, "we need to find out why they hate us," and perhaps rightfully so, but when their own own countrymen begin to radically turn on them, their response became "there can be no discussion, they must be destroyed."

All this inconsistency pushes folks into extreme positions, they feel like they are being conned. It's happening here on this forum, it has happened to me.

[DBTrek]

It is kind of strange that when terrorists started attacking us, there were many that started to say, "we need to find out why they hate us," and perhaps rightfully so, but when their own own countrymen begin to radically turn on them, their response became "there can be no discussion, they must be destroyed."

[kybkh]

People know they being conned.

Thanks Internet!