Sunday, November 12, 2017

SlateStar on Does Age Bring Wisdom

From the most self-reflective man on the internet:
First I believe something is true, and say so. Then I realize it’s considered low-status and cringeworthy. Then I make a principled decision to avoid saying it – or say it only in a very careful way – in order to protect my reputation and ability to participate in society. Then when other people say it, I start looking down on them for being bad at public relations. Then I start looking down on them just for being low-status or cringeworthy. Finally the idea of “low-status” and “bad and wrong” have merged so fully in my mind that the idea seems terrible and ridiculous to me, and I only remember it’s true if I force myself to explicitly consider the question.
He makes reference to Chesterton's Fence, which Wiki describes as,
the principle that reforms should not be made until the reasoning behind the existing state of affairs is understood.