Collective responsibility is the only thing that avoids the Tragedy of the Commons. And unfortunately, it's a deep problem, as explained in this week's SSC, Too Much Dark Money in Almonds. This guy is an atheist, so maybe you'll buy this argument better than mine.
But you don't get to avoid responsibility just because you think you have no effect. It's not how it works. If everyone thinks we have no responsibility to do anything on climate change, then we all live in a worse world. Thankfully, some of us have done something. Or, as the old adage goes, the only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.
It has nothing to do with people I don't like. I like a lot of Republicans, all told. Or well, people who were Republicans before 2016, at least. I got the UC Davis student council out of an official UC-systemwide student organization, mainly because the Republicans told us that they weren't working well. That they were more interested in grinding ideological axes about affirmative action and diversity and socialism than in representing the student body. And you know what, the conservatives were right! This was the budget-cut era of 2005, there was no way we'd ever get free tuition for everyone and Schwarzenegger's signature on an (illegal) university quota bill. You can't go out and effectively lobby if your starting position is a non-starter.
Or take GethN7, who is definitely a conservative. But there's a difference with him, as compared to the Trump defenders. We have our Christianity in common, and that helps a lot. But we also have our patriotism in common. That, even if we disagree, we are all working towards of a more economically vital, more environmentally protected, more democratic country. Those assumptions are always underlying our conversations. This kind of patriotism holds in a lot of well-known conservatives... very few of whom are in Congress right now.
But Trump's most ardent supporters are the kind to shoot people they don't like. I've had a guy across traffic from his high-suspension pickup truck, veins visible on his forehead across 5 lanes of traffic, scream at the top of his lungs that he was going to go home, get his gun, and fucking kill us all. For having a peaceful protest on a sidewalk. So according to your argument, I'm like that guy because I'm saying you need to act on this forum. I'm not saying that you have to be like me and put your life on the line. But you have to do something. If you dismiss your own ability to act, then you demean yourself.
Besides Christianity, the other moral framework I use a lot is from Revolutionary Girl Utena. I don't talk about it much because it's fairly otaku and niche and most people aren't quite the fan I am. It rather mirrored some of my own experiences in student council, which might explain some of the obsession. But the moral lessons are simple: Never lose your strength and nobility. The world is messy and complex and you may never know the truth behind it all, but what you can do is to hang on to love and justice, and be prepared to fight for it. All of life's a stage, but some people choose to wait in the wings. The revolution comes painfully slowly, one moment, one person at a time. And sometimes, you have no good choice but to revolutionize the world. Classicdrogn, the path which you must take has been prepared.
Scott Alexander Wrote:In this model, the difference between politics and almonds is that if you spend $2 on almonds, you get $2 worth of almonds. In politics, if you spend $2 on Bernie Sanders, you get nothing, unless millions of other people also spend their $2 on him. People are great at spending money on direct consumption goods, and terrible at spending money on coordination problems.
I don’t want more money in politics. But the same factors that keep money out of politics keep it out of charity too.
The politics case is interesting because it’s so obvious. Nobody’s going to cynically declare “Oh, people don’t really care who wins the election, they just pretend to.” It’s coordination problems! It has to be!
But you don't get to avoid responsibility just because you think you have no effect. It's not how it works. If everyone thinks we have no responsibility to do anything on climate change, then we all live in a worse world. Thankfully, some of us have done something. Or, as the old adage goes, the only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.
It has nothing to do with people I don't like. I like a lot of Republicans, all told. Or well, people who were Republicans before 2016, at least. I got the UC Davis student council out of an official UC-systemwide student organization, mainly because the Republicans told us that they weren't working well. That they were more interested in grinding ideological axes about affirmative action and diversity and socialism than in representing the student body. And you know what, the conservatives were right! This was the budget-cut era of 2005, there was no way we'd ever get free tuition for everyone and Schwarzenegger's signature on an (illegal) university quota bill. You can't go out and effectively lobby if your starting position is a non-starter.
Or take GethN7, who is definitely a conservative. But there's a difference with him, as compared to the Trump defenders. We have our Christianity in common, and that helps a lot. But we also have our patriotism in common. That, even if we disagree, we are all working towards of a more economically vital, more environmentally protected, more democratic country. Those assumptions are always underlying our conversations. This kind of patriotism holds in a lot of well-known conservatives... very few of whom are in Congress right now.
But Trump's most ardent supporters are the kind to shoot people they don't like. I've had a guy across traffic from his high-suspension pickup truck, veins visible on his forehead across 5 lanes of traffic, scream at the top of his lungs that he was going to go home, get his gun, and fucking kill us all. For having a peaceful protest on a sidewalk. So according to your argument, I'm like that guy because I'm saying you need to act on this forum. I'm not saying that you have to be like me and put your life on the line. But you have to do something. If you dismiss your own ability to act, then you demean yourself.
Besides Christianity, the other moral framework I use a lot is from Revolutionary Girl Utena. I don't talk about it much because it's fairly otaku and niche and most people aren't quite the fan I am. It rather mirrored some of my own experiences in student council, which might explain some of the obsession. But the moral lessons are simple: Never lose your strength and nobility. The world is messy and complex and you may never know the truth behind it all, but what you can do is to hang on to love and justice, and be prepared to fight for it. All of life's a stage, but some people choose to wait in the wings. The revolution comes painfully slowly, one moment, one person at a time. And sometimes, you have no good choice but to revolutionize the world. Classicdrogn, the path which you must take has been prepared.
"Kitto daijoubu da yo." - Sakura Kinomoto