I enjoyed reading until it got to the morality part (a "good" man/woman). That just totally blew up the whole point for me by bringing morality into the equation out of the blue.
Well, it's just that you go from "Everything is Biology" and "what is a man", to something about being a "good man", which seems to me to be totally beside the point and unrelated to the topic I was reading about. Just my $.02 and thank you for your response.
Well, I appreciate your two cents! The reason I added that point was that many people talk about how their kids will try to emulate what they think a man or woman is by acting out a bad, cartoonish caricature of the person. For instance, they think that acting like a man means acting like a brutish, rude, obnoxious man. Likewise, they might think acting like a woman means being a condescending misogynist to women who disagree with them. I was trying to point out the silliness of this kind of behavior. If I was to pretend to be a different person — and I was actually sincere about it — I would choose to act like the best version of that other person, not the worst. Put simply, being obnoxious does not make you more "authentic." It simply reveals the charade. Unfortunately, many young people don't get this.
Being "authentic" does seem to require being obnoxious. It reminds me of those bumper stickers that say something like "polite women rarely make history". As if obnoxious, boorish women often do make history.
But there is a difference between a good man and a good woman. A good man has to restrain the natural ability to punch someone in the nose and get away with it. Women, not so much.
Okay, 12 'likes' but zero comments. I was hoping a comment would illuminate things.
So, Aiden the alien is trying to act like what it thinks a "man" acts like. And in doing so he would be "like" TIPP parents who are fighting a transhumanist agenda that is purposefully sucking their minor children into a system that's surgically (and/or chemically) mutilating them permanently? And, in doing what they're doing, they're "diminishing" someone (not sure who)?
Sorry for the confusion... The point I was making is that no one can know the subjective world of anybody else. That's a neurobiological (and psychological) truism. That was the point I made when talking about Happy the elephant. When people try to do that — imagine what it's like to be someone or something else — they often conjure up stereotypical (and inaccurate) caricatures of the person (or thing) they're trying to imitate. You know, like little kids pretending to be pirates by running around the house yelling "Aaarg." My lighthearted essay is based on a long-standing philosophical point that was popularized in a paper entitled "What Is It like to Be a Bat?" In that essay, Nagel argued that you can never know what it's like to be a bat... You only know what it's like to be a human pretending to be a bat. By analogy, I can never know what it's like to be a woman... I can only know what it's like to be a man imitating a woman... And, because I have no firsthand knowledge of what it's like to be a woman, by definition it's not going to be a very accurate imitation. That leads to many of the inappropriate behaviors manifested by young people (and some adults) who are trying to be something they are not.
"And, he never tries to diminish another person in order to make himself appear more important."
Who is "diminishing" who in this scenario?
(Sorry, but once an editor, always an editor.)
Incidentally but related, I don't know why male comedians are FUCKING HILARIOUS when they're doing bits "as women"; whereas women comics (rarely funny to begin with, sadly) are rarely funny when they're doing bits "as men". I can't figure out why. Would love your response (and maybe you disagree to begin with!).
You know, like good men, and good women don't cut off other people's heads to make themselves taller (metaphorically speaking, of course). About the comedy thing, I don't know.... But, I did watch a documentary recently that addressed the question "Are Men Funnier Than Women." It was done by a woman comedian and her husband. I'm not sure it settled the issue, though. Neither one of them were very funny. I have to think about that for a while....
Have you tackled part 2 to this yet?--The question a person with a Harvard education couldnt answer? I'd like to read your answer to that:-)
I enjoyed reading until it got to the morality part (a "good" man/woman). That just totally blew up the whole point for me by bringing morality into the equation out of the blue.
Thanks for the comment.… I'm interested to know more about your point of view. Why did that point not fit in for you?
Well, it's just that you go from "Everything is Biology" and "what is a man", to something about being a "good man", which seems to me to be totally beside the point and unrelated to the topic I was reading about. Just my $.02 and thank you for your response.
Well, I appreciate your two cents! The reason I added that point was that many people talk about how their kids will try to emulate what they think a man or woman is by acting out a bad, cartoonish caricature of the person. For instance, they think that acting like a man means acting like a brutish, rude, obnoxious man. Likewise, they might think acting like a woman means being a condescending misogynist to women who disagree with them. I was trying to point out the silliness of this kind of behavior. If I was to pretend to be a different person — and I was actually sincere about it — I would choose to act like the best version of that other person, not the worst. Put simply, being obnoxious does not make you more "authentic." It simply reveals the charade. Unfortunately, many young people don't get this.
Being "authentic" does seem to require being obnoxious. It reminds me of those bumper stickers that say something like "polite women rarely make history". As if obnoxious, boorish women often do make history.
But there is a difference between a good man and a good woman. A good man has to restrain the natural ability to punch someone in the nose and get away with it. Women, not so much.
Great post, by the way.
Good point! ...and thanks for the kind words!
Frederick
Okay, 12 'likes' but zero comments. I was hoping a comment would illuminate things.
So, Aiden the alien is trying to act like what it thinks a "man" acts like. And in doing so he would be "like" TIPP parents who are fighting a transhumanist agenda that is purposefully sucking their minor children into a system that's surgically (and/or chemically) mutilating them permanently? And, in doing what they're doing, they're "diminishing" someone (not sure who)?
Sorry, confused!
Sorry for the confusion... The point I was making is that no one can know the subjective world of anybody else. That's a neurobiological (and psychological) truism. That was the point I made when talking about Happy the elephant. When people try to do that — imagine what it's like to be someone or something else — they often conjure up stereotypical (and inaccurate) caricatures of the person (or thing) they're trying to imitate. You know, like little kids pretending to be pirates by running around the house yelling "Aaarg." My lighthearted essay is based on a long-standing philosophical point that was popularized in a paper entitled "What Is It like to Be a Bat?" In that essay, Nagel argued that you can never know what it's like to be a bat... You only know what it's like to be a human pretending to be a bat. By analogy, I can never know what it's like to be a woman... I can only know what it's like to be a man imitating a woman... And, because I have no firsthand knowledge of what it's like to be a woman, by definition it's not going to be a very accurate imitation. That leads to many of the inappropriate behaviors manifested by young people (and some adults) who are trying to be something they are not.
Gotcha. Can you explain what you meant by:
"And, he never tries to diminish another person in order to make himself appear more important."
Who is "diminishing" who in this scenario?
(Sorry, but once an editor, always an editor.)
Incidentally but related, I don't know why male comedians are FUCKING HILARIOUS when they're doing bits "as women"; whereas women comics (rarely funny to begin with, sadly) are rarely funny when they're doing bits "as men". I can't figure out why. Would love your response (and maybe you disagree to begin with!).
You know, like good men, and good women don't cut off other people's heads to make themselves taller (metaphorically speaking, of course). About the comedy thing, I don't know.... But, I did watch a documentary recently that addressed the question "Are Men Funnier Than Women." It was done by a woman comedian and her husband. I'm not sure it settled the issue, though. Neither one of them were very funny. I have to think about that for a while....
Thanks! :-)
Thank you...