I just thought of another, larger and more unsettling problem. Although it's kind of hard for me to explain, but I'll try.
If the following statements are true:
Then I am extremely concerned about whether the answers to the following questions might doom the continued, dynamic existence of sentient life merely by its very nature:
What would life be like for sentient beings such as ourselves if we either eliminated damage to ourselves and the things that matter to us, or minimized that damage to the point where that damage was insignificant to our overall well-being, and therefore could be mostly ignored if we so chose, only dealt with in such a way to prevent it from becoming significant? In other words, what if we eliminated the need for pain? This was the question discussed in the article above.
What would life be like for sentient beings such as ourselves if we neutralized all threats to our survival and health, as well as eliminating all of the reasons we would have to misjudge something as a threat to our survival and health? Or at least minimized these threats and misjudgements of threat so that they are insignificant to our overall well-being and can be mostly ignored if we chose, only dealt with in such a way as to prevent them from becoming significant? In other words, what if we eliminated the need for fear?
What would life be like for sentient beings such as ourselves if the health, the safety, and the sustainability of the health and safety of all individual members of sentient species such as ourselves were maximized, to the point that we never needed to seek out things that help us or help the things that matter to us, or at least that the need for such help is minimized to the point of insignificance to our overall well-being, and therefore could be mostly ignored if we so chose, only dealt with in such a way to prevent it from becoming significant? In other words, what if we eliminated the need for happiness?
Note: i did notice that our very definition of "human health" and "overall-wellbeing" includes happiness, or perhaps average happiness. If you can't feel happiness, then we say you're not mentally healthy. I think this neglects the problem that we need happiness for a reason; it exists in the context of an environment where we need to seek out stimuli that help us, or at least that would have probably helped us in the ancestral environment. If we improve the capabilities of our own brains and bodies enough, eventually we will no longer need to rely on each other or on tools outside our own bodies and brains to compensate for our individual weaknesses. Which brings me to the fourth question.
I recently learned in a neuroscience class that thinking is by definition a problem-solving tool--a means to identify a path of causality from a current less desirable state to a more desirable goal state. At least that's what I think it said. If we reached all possible goals, and ran out of possible goals to strive for, what do we do then? Generate a new virtual reality in which there are more possible goals to reach? Or stop thinking altogether? Something about both of those options doesn't sound right for some reason.
I know it says on this very site that perfectionism is one of the twelve virtues of rationality, but then it says that the goal of perfection is impossible to reach. That doesn't make sense to me. If the goal you are trying to reach is unattainable, then why attempt to attain it? Because the amount of effort you expend towards the unattainable goal of perfection allows you to reach better goal states than you otherwise would reach if you did not expend that much effort? But what if we found a way to make the amount of effort spent equal, or at least proportional or close to proportional to the actual desirability of the goal state that effort allows you to reach?
These questions are really bothering me.
So I should continue giving my very best effort to be completely honest with myself, and just hope I don't ever find myself in a catch-22 scenario like the one I just described before I'm ready. Admitting that lying to myself COULD be my best option in particular kinds of situations is not the same as actually being in such a situation and having to take that option. Whew! I was freaking out a bit, worrying that I would have to compartmentalize the information in your article in order to avoid using the techniques in it. Now I realize that was kind of silly of me.
Thanks for your help!
I don't think that the article is saying you should completely abandon terminal goals and truth-seeking altogether. It sounds to me like it's saying that while in the vast majority of situations it is better to seek truth and not change terminal goals, there are particular circumstances where it is the right thing to do. For instance, if you accidentally saw greater than 50% of the exam answers of a friend who got 100% on a short but important final exam, and you did not have the option of taking a different exam or delaying it or ever taking that exam again, would you intentionally fail the exam? Or would you compartmentalize your knowledge of the answers so that you cannot access it during the exam, so you can take the exam the way you would have if you hadn't seen your friend's exam? In this scenario you would probably either have to change your terminal goal that the exam is instrumental to or to intentionally hide your knowledge of the answers from yourself and avoid seeking the truth about them in your own mind at least until the exam is over.
Also, I'm really scared of using these techniques because I have been conditioned not to trust myself at all if I lie to myself. Does it count as compartmentalization to ignore everything I just read here and pretend to myself that I should definitely never lie to myself intentionally, at least until I feel ready to do so without losing a large portion of my sanity and intellectual autonomy? I'm pretty sure already that the answer is yes.
However, I'm kind of new at actively thinking about and asking my own questions about my own thoughts and beliefs. I do not feel like I have observed enough examples of the quality of my reasoning ability to completely counteract the most likely false belief that I should not be intellectually autonomous because relying on my own reasoning ability is more likely to hurt others and myself instead of help.
For most of my life I have been conditioned to believe that, and it has only been very recently that I have started making progress towards eliminating that belief from my mind, rather than compartmentalizing it. I'm worried that using compartmentalization intentionally could significantly interfere with my progress in that regard.
I'm only just managing to hold this problem off right now, and that task is taking more energy and concentration then I think is realistic to be able to allocate to it on a regular basis.
If I tell myself that I don't need to be honest with myself about myself and my thoughts 100% of the time, and that what matters is that I'm honest with myself about myself and my thoughts most of the time and only dishonest with myself when it's necessary, then it's probably going to be disproportionately difficult to trust myself when I test my own honesty with myself and find out that I'm being honest.
Any advice please? I'm rather inexperienced with this level of honest self cognitive analysis (if that's what it's called) and I think I might be somewhat out of my league with this problem. Thanks!
I wrote a rationalist song relatively recently. It's a pastiche of "Clear Mind" by Masaki Endoh, and shares the title. The melody is supposed to be mostly the same as the original song, but somewhat slower, and probably with different instruments. My version's lyrics are quite different though.
Here's the link to listen to the original song on Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBcfTeVW61E&list=UUVLVBnJ37IQH1nZZHK2dOYA
The original song is an insert song that was in the anime Yugioh 5ds. It's in japanese, but there's an english translation in the video description.
And here's my version:
Clear Mind
(instrumental)
I take a step back and I look all around me
To find the optimal way to realize my dreams
I put two plus two together and I see the answer clearly
With your burning curiosity
And your piercing intellect
Cut through the darkness of illusion to reality!
I've got to make my predictions as accurate as they can be
Because people are counting on me...
Keep on searching for the truth that lies beyond!
Don't be fooled by the lies people tell to themselves or anyone else!
Keep on thinking through the problems facing you!
And you might just reach a better tomorrow with your sanity...with your Clear Mind!
Overcome your helpless confusion
Every mystery has a solution
But if you jump to conclusions you won't find it--No way!
Once you've gathered all the clues you can
And the whole picture isn't changing
Chances are you've solved the puzzle and it's time to act!
--on your findings
If the world is cruel and bloody
Dark and insane
Then I'll light it up with the power of my brain!
Keep on searching for the truth that lies beyond!
Don't be fooled by the lies people tell to themselves or anyone else!
Keep on thinking through the problems facing you!
And you might just reach a better tomorrow with your sanity...with your Clear Mind!
(instrumental)
Keep on searching for the truth that lies beyond!
Don't be fooled by the lies people tell to themselves or anyone else!
Keep on thinking through the problems facing you!
And you might just reach a better tomorrow with your sanity...
Keep on searching for the truth that lies beyond!
Don't be fooled by the lies people tell to themselves or anyone else!
Keep on thinking through the problems facing you!
And you might just reach a better tomorrow with your sanity...
WIth rationality...
With your Clear Mind!
My flashdrive recently went missing and there is a chance it might have been stolen. These lyrics were on it. It would be nice if there's someone in the community who's willing to perform it before whatever hypothetical person who might have my flashdrive now claims the song for themself. Anyone who wants to record themselves performing it and publish the recording on Youtube or something is welcome to do so as long as you don't pretend to be the songwriter and cite your sources properly.
I'm also curious about what the reactions are to this song. I hope the lyrics aren't irrational, but since I'm relatively new to rationality I suppose the odds of it being completely rational aren't that good. If it's not completely rational than I would appreciate it if people suggest edits to the lyrics.
Thanks!