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A comment on Learning to run 100-mile marathons thanks to the science of self-control. Parent comment

Re:Learning to run 100-mile marathons thanks to the science ... by logicallee on Monday July 10, 2017 @04:13PM (#14739229)
>Literally, hundreds of people (elite marathoners, a few ultra marathoners, cross country skiiers) out of billions of people are bumping up against physiology

The human race didn't fight tooth and nail for 40,000 years to give everyone education, a code of laws and civilization, safe lives that include both work and leisure, so that I could bump into the limits of my physiology. How is that a normative goal?

There are no mountain lions chasing me whose escape pushes me to the limits of human physiology - and I for one prefer to keep it that way!

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Re:Learning to run 100-mile marathons thanks to the science ... by gaius on Monday July 10, 2017 @04:21PM (#14739302)
fight tooth and nail for 40,000 years to give everyone education

On the one hand that's true but on the other hand, the vast majority of people aren't operating at their theoretical mental limit either, either way a vast amount of wasted potential.

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Re:Learning to run 100-mile marathons thanks to the science ... by steaknsteak on Monday July 10, 2017 @04:57PM (#14739592)
I don't think very many people are interested in achieving their theoretical mental limit any more than their physical limit. What would be the purpose of that? Diminishing returns applies to nearly every endeavor. Unless you are so preoccupied with a single goal that practically nothing else matters, you will always sacrifice some potential improvement on any goal to make room for the other important aspects of your life.
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Re:Learning to run 100-mile marathons thanks to the science ... by nicky0 on Monday July 10, 2017 @04:20PM (#14739290)
You're probably one of those people who would happily exist as a brain in a jar wired directly to the internet.
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Re:Learning to run 100-mile marathons thanks to the science ... by logicallee on Monday July 10, 2017 @04:47PM (#14739507)
nah, exercises 2-3 days per week is great. Not going to bring me to the limits of my physiology though :)
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