Re:The Architecture of "Not Bad": Decoding the Chinese Sourc...
by gsf_emergency_6 on Thursday December 11, 2025 @10:50PM
(#46240697)
Agreed. The flaw seems to be subtle though, a kinda sorta mismatch between intuition and deliberation (intent?) [0]
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/314666472_The_Exact...
[0] by which I mean people prefer to use intuition when thinking on their own, but prefer others to be deliberate -- however inappropriate levels of intent also provokes suspicion?
https://www.nature.com/articles/s44271-025-00320-8
Personally, I feel that jokes have the potential to cut through all that (barriers to empathy)
Re:The Architecture of "Not Bad": Decoding the Chinese Sourc...
by Izkata on Friday December 12, 2025 @02:20PM
(#46247681)
> and how hard it is in English to distinguish between "I have zero want for x" and "I have negative want for x"
"I do not want to X"
"I want to not X"
These are both pretty natural English constructions, though the second is usually used as a retort for clarification after saying the first but meaning the second.
Re:The Architecture of "Not Bad": Decoding the Chinese Sourc...
by aspenmayer on Friday December 12, 2025 @03:10PM
(#46248260)
“I would prefer not to.”
Re:The Architecture of "Not Bad": Decoding the Chinese Sourc...
by bonoboTP on Saturday December 13, 2025 @12:39AM
(#46252315)
Related, that in English "must not" means that it's forbidden, while in German the analogous "muss nicht" just means "don't have to". Also "need not" means "don't need", instead of actually needing the negation.
I didn't know about semiotic square, and appreciate learning about it. It points at exactly the property that I keep tripping over (and seeing others trip over).
Given that wants are an expression of values, and understanding other people's values enables empathy, I can't help but think this flaw in language is actually inhibiting empathy and cooperation at larger scales.