Rather a dry month this March, with just one post.
Scott Alexander wrote an excellent and mind boggling post on the philosopher John Rawls. Inception level mind boggling, really. It talks about the philosophy of charity, being generous and explores the question - would you help someone when you can and how that affects whether someone would help you when you need.
A few interesting comments along the same line.
A quote from Charles Kingleys’ The Water Babies
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If you don’t know that fire burns, that is no reason that it should not burn you; and if you don’t know that dirt breeds fever, that is no reason why the fevers should not kill you. The lobster did not know that there was any harm in getting into the lobster-pot; but it caught him all the same.
“And so, if you do not know that things are wrong, that is no reason why you should not be punished for them; though not as much, not as much, my little man” (and the lady looked very kindly, after all), “as if you did know.”
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Ways in which you might hurt yourself
https://objectiveobservations.substack.com/p/ways-in-which-you-might-hurt-yourself
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It’s not possible to hurt others without hurting yourself equally much or more in the process. The very act of causing harm requires you to become someone who harms.
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Because empathy is hardwired, you have to numb yourself to not feel the pain you’re causing, but this also numbs you to every part of your life.
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