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CaseyTS t1_izdv6ne wrote

Reply to comment by MBTHVSK in Understanding games may hold the secret to living the good life, says philosopher by grh55

>ending all arguments about why anybody does anything at all

Had me until here. I realize this is probably hyperbole, but despite whatever difficulties arise, we absolutely must have debates about why people do big, important things at the very least. The joy of games may explain why some people are selfish in how they think about their actions (i.e. they see their actions as fundamentally good, as you say), and that is an obstacle to arguing about why people do things, but we humans have to be able to make responsible large-scale decisions on nuanced topics. Without debating how exactly to proceed on those large-scale decisions, that is utterly impossible in practice.

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MBTHVSK t1_izgmaaj wrote

Wouldn't you say that being on the same page about big decisions seems impossible as of yet? After all, we all watch the same hollywood movies and celebrate similar kinds of holidays, and if you asked the average person about their morality the answers wouldn't be too different. And yet, there seems to be a disconnect between how people describe themselves and the behaviors they actually display. There seems to be a huge gap between how people identify as mature and peaceful and yet act much the opposite. And it's like every drop of criticism fails to rust away our behavior because there's some kind of beautiful spark to what we do and why we do it that can't be explained as mere hedonism or recklessness.

Perhaps "ending arguments about behavior" isn't the point. The point is to keep people from being surprised and confused by the most irritating and most stupendous actions anybody can possibly take. Doesn't it seem like we're all online to try and do that? Come up with a way to deconstruct the type of adult-minded decisions and well-contemplated actions that make our hearts squirm with resentment or possibly blissful awe? So that we can actually, really control ourselves when we feel as though control is what we already have in abundance?

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