I don't think he would regard it as a net negative experience. If you asked him, he would probably admit it was difficult, but that it was worth it. I guess some people like to be on that emotional roller-coaster. Emotions are generally considered to be 'good' regardless of their cause.So it's interesting to try to understand why your friend is finding more meaning in net negative experiences, it could be because they are forced to participate in faux happy experiences through work and our modern superficial culture, and a materially negative experience becomes something tangible and real they can hold onto even if it is somewhat reactionary.
Trying to mitigate our cognitive biases and questioning our beliefs is a good starting point. That, and using what we know to maximize the chances of getting what we want. Easier said than done, I'm afraidAgreed so how can we better integrate our emotions to be clear headed and approach situations logically?
You mention meditation. In a thread I started some days ago, I wondered if anyone practiced Vipassana over here. Nobody replied, so I guess the answer is a blunt "no". This is Harris talking about its alleged benefits: I know there are some people who are fiercely critical of Vipassana though, especially because it focuses so much on the idea that we should completely get rid of our emotions. Some even claim it causes breakdowns and all sort of issues.The quality of mind cultivated in vipassana is generally referred to as “mindfulness” (the Pali word is sati), and there is a quickly growing literature on its psychological benefits. Mindfulness is simply a state of open, nonjudgmental, and nondiscursive attention to the contents of consciousness, whether pleasant or unpleasant. Cultivating this quality of mind has been shown to modulate pain, mitigate anxiety and depression, improve cognitive function, and even produce changes in gray matter density in regions of the brain related to learning and memory, emotional regulation, and self awareness.
Epistemic rationality and meditation are usually individual activities. Frankly, I don't know how these practices could be put in place for the benefit of the community. Schools are not good at teaching critical thinking. In my country, for example, there's generally an historical approach to the teaching of subjects such as philosophy and psychology. Learning how that knowledge can be put into practice in everyday life, would be a welcome change.
I didn't know that.Greenpeace actually set a broad legal precedent for 'lawful excuse' that could apply to the shopping trolley example.
The generally accepted assumption is that, in fact, pushing the fat guy is the reasonable thing to do only if people are not aware of it or, maybe, as you said, in times of war. A society in which everyone could be pushed under a train at any moment would not be a society in which it is worth living. There are probably, more realistic scenarios in which causing some harm, or using someone as a means, has good consequences though. In those situations, it's important to know how stand against the Kantian principles.but I would push if they were unwilling like in times of war, and hope public outrage would be directed at finding the person that tied them to the track, that would also be a demonstration of how logical the society is.
