internetrules:
I remember in one one your blog posts you said your the best philosopher in the world, Which would then mean you are also like the smartest person in the world right?
curi:
depends what you mean by “smart”.
internetrules:
I’m not sure what I meant either, but right now I will define it as: ability to learn/think about things good. I think that’s a ok definition?
curi:
ok, i think i’m the best adult at that.
internetrules:
So do you think there are probably better children and/or old people than you at thinking?
curi:
old counts as adult
it’s really hard to compare to a 2 year old. idk
little kids learn lots of stuff, often with really crappy help. some of them are exceptional and there are a lot of ppl in the world.
i have surveyed things like books, blogs and academia to look for good ppl.
this finds adults but not young kids
internetrules:
And so would they be better at thinking cuz they don’t have any anti productive memes you may still have?
curi:
something like that. some of them aren’t broken yet so they can compete with me at being good at learning even though they don’t have some specific skills and knowledge i have.
ppl do so much to destroy kids. it takes a lot of work
u can’t really compare directly to little kids, they are a different thing
i’m smart but a better way to think of it is honest and reasonable. other adults don’t have that, but some would be called smart. ppl think they are honest but they aren’t being honest about that.
internetrules:
Do you think that destroying kids minds is a more recent trend? (The last 400ish years or so) or a little longer like a few thousand years, or since the beginning of humanity?
curi:
since the beginning of humanity
it’s gotten a little better, not worse.
it’s gotten worse in some noticeable ways but overall it’s better
like modern school stuff is really bad
but overall ppl are less harsh with kids, less controlling, less punishing. they hit kids less, scare kids less.
care more about being nice
feel bad or guilty when they are cruel to kids
the reason they don’t want to be mean to their kids is b/c it’s incompatible with other improvements in the world. they are nicer overall to everyone, think fighting and violence are bad in general, etc. these positive trends apply to kids less. ppl make exceptions and excuses when it comes to kids. but it still applies to kids some.
internetrules:
How much were you destroyed as a kid?
curi:
50% as much as normal? 1%? idk. who knows. i tuned school out a lot. i didn’t do social conformity or reject logic or accept vague stuff and being confused as if it were answers
tons of kids are curious but it gets destroyed. i stayed curious lots. but it could be lots more IMO
ppl make exceptions to logic and start rationalizing it and being biased in convenient ways (like to be more acceptable to their peers) and it destroys them. i didn’t do that.
u just have to blind yourself to one truth, choose to believe what’s easier to get along with others instead of trying to understand, and you are on a really bad path
basically everyone does that.
internetrules:
I do that a lot of times when people ask me if they want to play games with me
curi:
it escalates. if u won’t think honestly and rationally and truth-seeking about one thing, then u have to also avoid thinking about related stuff or you will run into contradictions
internetrules:
I try to be socially normal and kinda try to indirectly turn them down or just play a bit with them
curi:
it spreads to all your thinking as you find out how all types of ideas are related to each other
internetrules:
Then not play for a week
curi:
like if u do that kinda social stuff, u have to not learn about society’s social dynamics in order to find that acceptable instead of hating it.
and to avoid learning that stuff, u have to be uncurious or bad at learning. u have to avoid looking at material with explanations, or be able to misunderstand it accept dumb excuses for why u think it’s wrong.
internetrules:
It’s really dishonest and mean of me to be like that way right?
curi:
it’s dishonest. idk about “really” – there are lots of more dishonest things ppl do. it’s not particularly mean, it’s normal and expected and it’s not like punching someone or insulting them just to try to hurt their feelings. it’s possible to come up with a perspective where u can see it as mean some.
u aren’t doing it for the purpose of hurting them.
the main way to be mean is if u do something with the actual goal of making someone feel bad or hurting them.
it counts if you have that goal but you rationalize it and pretend you don’t.
but what you are talking about, you actually have a different goal. you’re avoiding conflict.
you’re trying to avoid bad reactions from them
and not deal with it
i think
internetrules:
Yes
curi:
that’s really common. my best friend growing up did that a ton.
internetrules:
Did you realize it or confront them about it?
curi:
he had a kid around a year ago so now he won’t speak to me b/c he doesn’t want to be reminded of TCS stuff and how he’s hurting his kid all the time.
he knew some of that stuff but now he has to try to forget it
and be dishonest about it
cuz his wife isn’t TCS and his kid isn’t going to be raised that way
it doesn’t even matter if i talk about it or not
if he talks to me he can guess what i would think b/c he knows enough about TCS to know my opinions
he didn’t want to change and have conflicts with ppl like i do
internetrules:
And then it would be ultra socially un acceptable to say mb they shouldn’t have married that person, right?
curi:
he decided to have normal friends and wife.
he married her on purpose.
he knew what he was doing, though i doubt he knows it anymore. i think he must have put it out of his mind.
he really wanted a girlfriend and stuff.
he put up with lots of sacrifices
she doesn’t like video games
he used to play them a ton. he cut it way down for her.
he quit college. he went back and got a useless degree b/c she thinks college is good.
internetrules:
Sounds like she might impose screen time limits on the kid, that would suck
curi:
probably will … after not providing kid with a screen at all for years.
kids should have ipads by 6 months old, but i bet this kid doesn’t get one until … god who knows. could be age 7. could even be worse.
internetrules:
It would be best to get a kid like an iPad ASAP right? So they can learn and play with tech and be good with it immediately?
curi:
yes and also forget learning tech, ipads are useful.
u can watch youtube and use kid apps that are fun or educational
there are tons of them. there are flaws but it’s still pretty good compared to regular physical toys. should have both.
screen time would have ruined my life
i grew up b4 that was so common. no parental controls on computer.
had computer and internet stuff early when they were newer and lots of ppl didn’t have yet
b4 smartphones
internetrules:
People use age as an excuse to get out of arguments a lot
They will say something like “oh your just young your young mind will grow up and realize you were wrong “
curi:
they also try to use whether u have kids if u every say stuff about parenting
they are like “u only think that cuz u don’t have kids”
they also assume u don’t have kids if u believe stuff they disagree with
it’s all just dishonesty
internetrules:
Why do people want girlfriends and boyfriends so much?
curi:
it’s one of the biggest pressures in our culture
they are raised to want that. they see it everywhere.
internetrules:
I wonder how that hasn’t effected me then
curi:
my guess would be it probably has.
internetrules:
Cuz like I really don’t care about getting a partner
curi:
maybe u will care in 5 yeras
if u don’t learn philosophy
internetrules:
So I assume philosophy is a thing where it’s always better to learn it sooner than later?
curi:
usually it’s a thing where you learn it sooner or never
it also makes you more efficient at life, so the sooner the better
like learning to type fast instead of slow is good to learn sooner so u don’t waste lots of time typing slow. but philosophy is about thinking and making good decisions.
lack of that means making mistakes, being wrong … that costs more than time.
lots of what ppl do is counter productive and destructive, not just ineffective
waiting does not make learning philosophy easier. there is basically never a better more convenient time later. it just gets harder and worse as u make excuses and put it off
if u won’t do it now, why would later be better? pretty much it’s not
have u read any Paths Forward stuff?
internetrules:
Yeah that’s what I was thinking about but I feel like it’s putting me off of learning it cuz I’m like “if I think it’s better to learn it now rather than later, and I’m not learning it now, doesn’t that mean I just won’t ever learn it”
I’m not sure
I rad at least one blog post on it
curi:
http://fallibleideas.com/paths-forward
internetrules:
But I think it was a short kinda summary on it?
curi:
http://curi.us/2100-sample-paths-forward-dialog
there’s other links at the bottom of the first one
i think this is the best way to explain what’s wrong with the world intellectually
“intellectuals” – like professors and authors – have wrong ideas and there’s no way to correct them
they won’t answer critical arguments
they just lie about it and say they are intellectually honest, value feedback, etc
but none of them do.
internetrules:
Also, would it be fine to read a book without making comments on it the first time I read it, and then re-read it and make comments? I feel like I would put on an audio book from the FI reccomended reading list if I didn’t feel like I had to mention when there’s something in the book I disagree with, and I’m pretty sure I would be fine re-reading it
Disagree with/ am not sure about
curi:
you could do that. i think it’d be better to take some notes as u go, save the parts u have thots about
but better to try reading than do nothing
internetrules:
If it was just disagreements then I think I would be very fine just writing those down as I encounter them actually
It seems fun talking about disagreements I have with books now that I think about it
curi:
u can get text copies of books and copy/paste parts u have comments on
about best philosopher: most ppl flame me for saying that. i ask who is better or even close. i’ve never gotten a name out of anyone.
also i specified living
internetrules:
I want to put them in voice dream reader
curi:
yeah i like that. then u can highlight the text in it to save parts
it connects text to audio
i’m not trying to compare to Socrates (totally different intellectual situation) or Ayn Rand.
internetrules:
Yeah it seems like a big claim to me as well but if someone’s going to be really smart then it has to be in philosophy cuz it’s the one that covers everything
curi:
yeah and i just said best philosopher anyway. i said the field.
i didn’t say best thinker. but if u agree philosophy deals with methods of thinking then it’s kinda implied.
there is no one who can win arguments with me, out-discuss me.
i passed David Deutsch by a lot
i went around to all the online forums
they are so bad
the other intellectuals don’t even want a forum or gave up on trying to make one or something
they refuse to debate and deal with FI arguments
internetrules:
What happened to David deutsch? I see you saying some negative stuff about him in Horowitz and your blog sometimes, did he stop caring as much about making the world better or something?
curi:
they deal with the social world instead. so they are frauds. they just impress their peers, network with fancy ppl, put on a show to look smart, etc
it’s just standard career advancement stuff, making friends, building a reputation and being popular, etc, and they just do that in philosophy or something.
instead of actually thinking
u suck up to the ppl in charge of publishing stuff and get published and then say ur better than ppl cuz ur published in a fancier journal
DD stopped having philosophy discussions and started trying to suck up to ppl with fans and reputations.
to play the normal game. he’s not very good at it. it’s not his thing.
he started being more left wing so they’d like him better, too.
and stopped saying much TCS stuff.
or anti-marriage stuff
or other things he thinks are true that ppl don’t like
he’s trying to fit in more cuz ppl wouldn’t listen to him
but if u set aside ur ideas to get ppl to like u more … u get them to listen by saying what they already want to hear … wtf is the point?
(and he’s not being very successful anyway. it’s very competitive to be a fraud intellectual who tries to be popular and doesn’t have serious critical discussions. he gave up his advantages of being smarter and having good ideas.)
lots of his competition devote their whole lives to the social contest and DD started late.
ppl normally won’t even have conversations like this with me b/c they are avoiding thinking about certain things
internetrules:
Why does culture value children’s lives more than adults but also treats them worse?
That definitely seems like a question I could ask on FI or read something someone else posted on FIA
curi:
our culture is inconsistent on a million things
internetrules:
i am satisfied with that answer. And think I already know why our culture is inconsistent (irrational memes)
curi:
being consistent takes work. u have to do it on purpose, put in effort. the default is just something comes up and u believe X and then something else comes up and u believe Y for that and u don’t compare or connect them
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