Re:He dropped out to become a poet – now he’s won a Fields M...
by nonrandomstring on Wednesday July 06, 2022 @04:01AM
(#31998061)
> of an altruistic benevolence.
I'm not sure I believe in that. Or rather, I think the idea of
altruistic benevolence as a simple exclusive categorical is naive.
Humans have super complex motives, often quite unconscious,
multi-faceted and even in contradiction.
What I would say is that very high performing people think and behave
in different ways. In political science (I'm thinking of Nicomachean
Ethics but it's a recurring theme in modernity too) is the conceit of
the "Great/Noble Man", whose competence places him "above" everyday
perspectives and rituals. They're rare not because apparent altruism
is rare, but because people of that calibre are rare.
I'm not sure I believe in that. Or rather, I think the idea of altruistic benevolence as a simple exclusive categorical is naive. Humans have super complex motives, often quite unconscious, multi-faceted and even in contradiction.
What I would say is that very high performing people think and behave in different ways. In political science (I'm thinking of Nicomachean Ethics but it's a recurring theme in modernity too) is the conceit of the "Great/Noble Man", whose competence places him "above" everyday perspectives and rituals. They're rare not because apparent altruism is rare, but because people of that calibre are rare.