> I was at a conference this weekend, "Dennett's Philosophy of Mind". (Dennet is
> the author of "Consciousness Explained" and "Darwins Dangerous Idea".) Dennett
> reported on one study of happiness in which the highest scoring group were
> quadriplegics. The "explanation" was that they were starting from a very low
> base, and had long term prospects (with improving technology and all) of steady
> improvement.
>
> If this research is accurate, a rational libertarian should voluntarily give
> away most of their wealth every so often to maximize happiness. The short term
> hit after giving it away is more than compensated for by the long term
> opportunity to rebuild from a low base. It is rather counter intuitive though.
> How convincing would the research need to be for people on this list to adopt
> such a strategy? What would be the economic effects (Robin?)?
Did I miss something? It sounds as though the able-bodied should choose to become quadreplegics for the sake of their happiness, if one accepts this sort of nonsense.