The Human Will Humans want to survive and flourish, to live and live well, to be and be well: Well-being is a combination of pleasure and meaning in life. Humans want to feel good and fulfilled. They want hedonic and eudaemonic happiness; some more of the pleasure part, others more of the meaning aspect. A good life is a positive well-being balance over a lifetime. If, on your deathbed, you were to look back at every moment you have lived, summing up all your pleasures and pains, all … [Read more...]
Are Centrists Between or Beyond the Left-Right Divide?
Introduction Centrists are hated by the left and disdained the right. They are called smug, cowardly, deceitful, indecisive, opportunistic, and unable to hold, let alone defend a strong political opinion. But there are various kinds of centrists. This blog post discusses four interesting types: the moderate centrist, the phony centrist, the straw-manning centrist, and the selective centrist. 1. The moderate centrist The moderate always takes a position in the middle between the left and … [Read more...]
Political Virtue Signaling
What is virtue signaling? Humans are a social species: we form groups to cooperate. In order to cooperate, we establish values. By following values, we increase our social status within a group. With higher social status, we have access to more resources (e.g., money, influence, female attraction). Virtue signaling is a display of value-following in order to gain social status and resources. On social media, people signal their virtues to win followers and approval. Through … [Read more...]
On Goodness, Happiness, and Meaning in Life
Definitions This blog post rests on utilitarianism: Good = what increases happiness Happiness = pleasure + meaning Assertion Meaning comes from everything that gives people a sense of fulfillment and belonging. For example: Having a deep purpose (doing one's True Will) gives people meaning in life. Being on a path (the dedicated devotion to a mission) gives people meaning in life. Being part of a group (the merging of one's will into a greater will) gives people meaning … [Read more...]
How to Maximize Happiness in Society
Happiness is pleasure plus meaning. Therefore, a society that wants to maximize happiness must optimize for pleasure in conjunction with meaning. Political liberals typically optimize for pleasure. They try to reduce harm and suffering while promoting liberty and the pleasures that come from acting autonomously. But pure hedonism produces soul-dead consumers, and freedom can be empty. Without a strong, fulfilling purpose, maximizing pleasure does not maximize happiness, but diversion at best … [Read more...]
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