Yarvin's not allowing comments on his latest "Truly Effective Altruism Requires Dictatorship" post, in one sticking-out-like-a-sore-thumbish section of which which he compares the lawn-sign-sentimental "let's help the Ukrainians!" attitude to Mrs. Jellyby's concern for Subsaharans as opposed to her own kids. Perhaps you'd like to respond to that section of his post here, since you're not allowed to respond to it there.
My own response would begin with the observation that a pro-Ukrainian policy can be motivated in various ways, and that Mrs. Jellybyism is only one of those ways.
To be consistent, Yarvin would have to hold that even national self-defense is Mrs. Jellybyism. After all, how well do the people of any American town really know the people of any other American town? Why bleed for people you don't know? What does "fellow American" even mean? The really truly rational AND "vitalist" thing to do is just to immediately surrender to any government -- say the government of Laos -- that threatens war.
Yeah, I will, but I still owe Yarvin a followup post on Oxford.
I am also sympathetic when he is talking about, let's say, aid to Africa, etc. However, he is trying to roll together geostrategy and altruism: Altruism is not the reason our government is helping Ukraine. Maybe that is motivating some people's concern, but our reasons are geostrategic.
To put it simply though: We don't want to help Ukraine because we love Ukraine; I want to help Ukraine because I hate Russia. Does he suggest that locale hatreds are to be preferred to distant ones?
Turning off comments is lame as hell. I pay for Gray Mirror in part because I want to participate in the comments. Turning off the comments reduces the value for the subscribers.
Yarvin's not allowing comments on his latest "Truly Effective Altruism Requires Dictatorship" post, in one sticking-out-like-a-sore-thumbish section of which which he compares the lawn-sign-sentimental "let's help the Ukrainians!" attitude to Mrs. Jellyby's concern for Subsaharans as opposed to her own kids. Perhaps you'd like to respond to that section of his post here, since you're not allowed to respond to it there.
My own response would begin with the observation that a pro-Ukrainian policy can be motivated in various ways, and that Mrs. Jellybyism is only one of those ways.
To be consistent, Yarvin would have to hold that even national self-defense is Mrs. Jellybyism. After all, how well do the people of any American town really know the people of any other American town? Why bleed for people you don't know? What does "fellow American" even mean? The really truly rational AND "vitalist" thing to do is just to immediately surrender to any government -- say the government of Laos -- that threatens war.
Yeah, I will, but I still owe Yarvin a followup post on Oxford.
I am also sympathetic when he is talking about, let's say, aid to Africa, etc. However, he is trying to roll together geostrategy and altruism: Altruism is not the reason our government is helping Ukraine. Maybe that is motivating some people's concern, but our reasons are geostrategic.
To put it simply though: We don't want to help Ukraine because we love Ukraine; I want to help Ukraine because I hate Russia. Does he suggest that locale hatreds are to be preferred to distant ones?
Turning off comments is lame as hell. I pay for Gray Mirror in part because I want to participate in the comments. Turning off the comments reduces the value for the subscribers.