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Comment on America's Smartest Man Finds Something Interesting

intensely_human@lemm.ee ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

It’s also important to recognize that smart people can and do fool themselves into believing whatever’s most comfortable to themselves, unless they actively develop the emotional fortitude to face reality.

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LarmyOfLone@lemm.ee ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
Yeah true. But like @jj4211@lemmy.world write it’s also that confident behavior is rewarded. And narrow minded focus on profit is more efficient than being focused on other things. And they need to compete with others on this “game” who pursue the calculus of power. So humility is a really hard sell to them. And media is not looking at politics or politicians in that way at all.

I sometimes feel this lack of emotional fortitude when thinking about reading a book, because books often break up your worldview and require you to adjust. There is a kind of intellectual pain of disillusionment.

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- intensely_human@lemm.ee ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
  
  And they need to compete with others on this “game” who pursue the calculus of power.
  
  Such compulsions are a function of lacking the kind of emotional fortitude I’m referring to.
  
  Spineless people of poor character “need” to pursue upward movement along the gradient of power.
  
  The philosopher Diogenes was eating bread and lentils for supper. He was seen by the philosopher Aristippus, who lived comfortably by flattering the king. Said Aristippus, “If you learned to be subservient to the king you would not have to live on lentils.”
  
  Said Diogenes, “If you learned to live on lentils, you would not have to be subservient to the king.”
  
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  - LarmyOfLone@lemm.ee ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
    The trouble is that they do need to compete with people who do pursue power (or wealth) relentlessly. So there are hard calculations. Those who don’t play don’t get power and won’t change anything. Those who do want to chance things and want other things than just power are at a (big) disadvantage. Even with the best of intention, the game plays you.
    
    I believe the solution would be something like more rules or systems in place to focus on this kind of pursuit and call it out and dissuade it. Like develop social tools to change the rules of the game. No clue how though. Maybe AGI.
    
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  - TokenBoomer@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago
    Once again, it comes down to material conditions.
    
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