site banner

Small-Scale Question Sunday for March 26, 2023

Do you have a dumb question that you're kind of embarrassed to ask in the main thread? Is there something you're just not sure about?

This is your opportunity to ask questions. No question too simple or too silly.

Culture war topics are accepted, and proposals for a better intro post are appreciated.

3
Jump in the discussion.

No email address required.

“Learn to code” has been the go to response to people laid off due to automation or other technological advances. What is going to be the equivalent if developers more or less become redundant with the rapid advances in LLMs? Learn to craft?

Ideally we will shift towards valuing and assigning status to people who build and maintain community. Women used to have this as their primary role, but after they entered the workforce there was a gaping hole where pillars of the community used to be.

There can be negatives to tons of community, sure, but I think we’ve found that the fetishization of individualism is just as bad, if not worse.

I think we’ve found that the fetishization of individualism

Really?

Yes, individualism has problems. But without it, who get to decide what's good for everyone else? Are we really going to ignore all the times authoritarianism has lead to problems?

Take free speech for example. Yes, some people say bad things. But historically, when we gave people the power to control speech to result was much worse. Just focusing on the bad thing people say and calling anyone who defends free speech as a fetishist isn't a good argument.

Individualism is not the same thing as liberalism or free speech, although they are definitely conflated. Ideally in a well functioning liberal community, people are prosocial and help others out. They focus on more than just their individual wants/needs.

I’d argue individualism is focusing on yourself to the exclusion of others, and is bad. Indeed, with porn and so much sensory satisfaction available, I’m comfortable labeling it a fetish.

Just focusing on the bad thing people say and calling anyone who defends free speech as a fetishist isn't a good argument.

Maybe I missed something; was that an argument anyone has made?