Gyroscopic Investing

Pointedstick wrote: It's one of the options in the list on the left-hand side of the screen on your profile page.

Pointedstick wrote: It's one of the options in the list on the left-hand side of the screen on your profile page.

dragoncar wrote: Since apparently nobody has replied yet, the option is on your profile page.

dragoncar wrote: Since apparently nobody has replied yet, the option is on your profile page.

MediumTex wrote: Come on fellas.

I hate reading stuff like this.

k9 wrote:

MediumTex wrote: Come on fellas.

I hate reading stuff like this.

Then I guess you should use the "ignore user" feature

Libertarian666 wrote:comments made by people for whom I have no respect.

MediumTex wrote: If you had the choice of having some of your most treasured beliefs invalidated in exchange for a more nuanced and expansive understanding of the world, would you do it?

It seems to me that when certain ways of thinking or believing that provide people with a sense of coherence are too badly disrupted it often leaves them worse off than when they started.  A sense of wholeness turns to a sense of confusion.  A sense of belonging turns into a sense of alienation.

When I see anthropologists studying people in the jungle who seem perfectly happy to worship a stick or throw rocks at the moon I am glad that anthropologists don't end their studies by telling the jungle people how most of their beliefs can be shown to be factually incorrect.  How would such knowledge help them?  What would they do with that knowledge once the anthropologists left?

It's a tough call, because for every Galileo spreading enlightenment there seem to be several others shattering people's sense of wholeness without offering much to replace it.  I feel torn about this topic, because I have had very good luck with abandoning certain beliefs that I discovered to be false, while in other cases I have found that I was happier when I believed things that I am now no longer able to believe. 

One interesting thing that I have found in travelling this road is that I am now far less inclined to try to shake someone else's belief in something unless I am certain I have something better to offer.  When it comes to investing, for example, I am happy to disrupt someone's past beliefs because I believe that the PP offers a much more sensible approach to investing than many people currently use.  OTOH, there are other beliefs that I am inclined to just leave alone, and I might even try to encourage someone to keep believing them if it gave them a sense of wholeness and purpose.

Perhaps we need an element of irrational belief in our psychological make-up to facilitate a coherent journey through life.  As an example, I think that most kids' lives are richer for believing in Santa Claus than they would be had they never heard of Santa Claus.

If the whole truth led to nothing but an inescapable sense of nihilism, of what value would that truth be?  Of course, there is also the matter of the same truth inducing a sense of nihilism in one person while it leaves no impact on another person, and it may even inspire someone else.

For me, this is a difficult topic to fully untangle.  I used to attack every alleged "truth" I was presented with until I was completely satisfied that it was, in fact, true as far as I could tell.  I have found as I have gotten older that I now take a gentler approach to things that are presented to me as truth, and sometimes I am more content to just leave things alone rather shine the brightest light I can find on them.

jan van mourik wrote: I would use that feature extensively, but unfortunately the "people I don't respect" change from post to post.

j/k

dragoncar wrote:

jan van mourik wrote: I would use that feature extensively, but unfortunately the "people I don't respect" change from post to post.

j/k

I need an "ignore opinions I disagree with" feature

jan van mourik wrote:

dragoncar wrote:

jan van mourik wrote: I would use that feature extensively, but unfortunately the "people I don't respect" change from post to post.

j/k

I need an "ignore opinions I disagree with" feature

Then, if you changed your mind, would you still see your own posts?

Kshartle wrote:

jan van mourik wrote:

dragoncar wrote: I need an "ignore opinions I disagree with" feature

Then, if you changed your mind, would you still see your own posts?

What if you don't have any self-respect?