Selfishness Is Learned: We tend to be cooperative unless we think too much

Re:Selfishness Is Learned: We tend to be cooperative unless ... by colanderman on Thursday June 09, 2016 @11:53PM (#11874187)

> If I could figure out how to cheat on my taxes, I would. I'd feel obligated to do so.

That is silly. It's like punishing a child who eats too much candy by restricting his total caloric intake. He will continue to eat as much candy and simply stop eating regular meals. (Just look at our crumbling transportation infrastructure…)

You have to punish in a manner not fungible with the desired behavior: in this example, take away toys; in the case of taxes, take away votes.

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Re:Selfishness Is Learned: We tend to be cooperative unless ... by NoMoreNicksLeft on Friday June 10, 2016 @10:31AM (#11876588)

Governments aren't children. Starving a child is horrible no matter what infraction they're guilty of... both because it's a child, and the infractions are minor anyway (eating candy).

A government isn't a child, deserves none of the same considerations. And it's crime is mass murder.

I'm happy to see it starve, I'm obligated to try to starve it.

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Re:Selfishness Is Learned: We tend to be cooperative unless ... by colanderman on Friday June 10, 2016 @03:41PM (#11879373)

You entirely missed my point.

Replace "child" with "garden" and "sweets" with "weeds". If you try to starve the weeds taking over your garden by not watering your garden, you'll have only weeds left.

You need to attack the root of the problem, be it literally roots, or by voting warmongers out of office.

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Re:Selfishness Is Learned: We tend to be cooperative unless ... by NoMoreNicksLeft on Friday June 10, 2016 @04:37PM (#11879812)

I'm ok with not having a government left. It's a murderous government. "Drone bombs on hospitals" murderous.

You can't vote warmongers out of office. There are no such candidates.

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