From: Robin Hanson (rhanson@gmu.edu)
Date: Mon Jun 16 2003 - 08:51:29 MDT
I have to agree with Eliezer S. Yudkowsky regarding the huge dangers of
patriotism. Evolution has clearly programmed us to have strong inclinations
toward group loyalty, and to bias our beliefs on this basis. It was in
our ancestor's individual interest to be so biased, and may well be in our
individual interest today to be so biased. But such tendencies cause great
problems for someone who tries hard to eliminate biases in his or her beliefs.
Of course that raises the question of why believing in the truth should have
such an overwhelming importance, moral or otherwise. Some plausibly argue
that
it is more moral to be loyal to one's group, even if this means that your
beliefs will be biased, just as they believe it is more moral to give charity
to members of your group, even if this means that worse off outsiders go
without.
I have to admit to while I think that there are few things more important than
believing the truth, I can offer only disappointingly weak moral arguments to
justify this.
Robin Hanson rhanson@gmu.edu http://hanson.gmu.edu
Assistant Professor of Economics, George Mason University
MSN 1D3, Carow Hall, Fairfax VA 22030-4444
703-993-2326 FAX: 703-993-2323
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