@Logos96711899 @michaelshermer The crucifixion and atonement—in which Jesus delivered himself up to the most painful experience imaginable—is central to every Christian faith.
@Logos96711899 @michaelshermer Actually, it’s a very common theme in a number of remarkably popular religions. Self-flagellation is just one example of a core concept that arises over and over in human ritual.
@Logos96711899 @michaelshermer That’s fair—though I would say both incorporate harm. I also would say that in my experience specifically at Stanford, all-nighters were less about grit and more about how much you’re trying to do in a week, haha.
@Logos96711899 @michaelshermer I would simply say that what may be “harm” to you is not harm to others. For instance, I had a number of positive religious experiences while fasting, which to an outside observer unfamiliar with religion may have come across as completely unhelpful self harm.
@Logos96711899 @michaelshermer I guess it depends?
While I was getting my Stanford degree in math, I pulled countless all-nighters studying, and made myself ill doing so, but improved myself.
It was harming myself, but I would say that was actually good.
@Logos96711899 @michaelshermer (assuming it’s private practice and I can make those judgements freely, haha)
I do think legislation-wise it gets tricky accounting for agency and optimizing for people’s outcomes, but at the same time I always think one should error on giving people autonomy.
@Logos96711899 @michaelshermer That’s a fair point. I was speaking purely hypothetically under the assumption that they were. If they weren’t in a good headspace, I’d as a surgeon refuse to perform the operation until I could assert it gave a reasonable shot of QoL improvement.
@Logos96711899 @michaelshermer ...humanistic, utilitarian approach has made my life better and the lives of people around me better, so that’s what I go with.
I definitely will change my mind as I go, but to first order, this yields the most good that I can reason, and so I’m excited to add nuance to it.
@Logos96711899 @michaelshermer I’m aware of moral relativism and the ramifications of it, haha. You may be old, but I wasn’t born yesterday 😛
I grew up in a very strict God-fearing moral framework, and I saw how much damage it did to myself and others. I’m not opposed to religion, but a more...
@Logos96711899 @michaelshermer Hahaha, chaos is fine. If what you do affects others, then there’s considerations. You take yourself way too seriously!
Also, fwiw, I think the “adult” approach to debates is not to call the person you’re talking with juvenile and then walk away, haha.
@Logos96711899 @michaelshermer Absolutely. With children, I think there’s a special case that kids aren’t really autonomous at all, and so a lot of personal care and attention needs to go into how we raise them.