I think one key in not being offended is being secure in your own person and position. If you’re not actually worried that someone or their remarks may actually hurt or damage you, then it’s easy to remain objective and not take offense.
In the Old Testament it says, “Great peace have they which love Thy law, and nothing shall offend them.” I’d like to think that I’m secure in my position relating to the very Creator of the universe. So, to the degree that I am truly secure in that position, what can anyone really do or say to upset me?
I think one key in not being offended is being secure in your own person and position
I am very new to LW, but this seems like a dangerous position to take for a rationalist! From “What Do We Mean By ‘Rationality’”: [Italics Mine]
This is why we have a whole site called “Less Wrong”, rather than simply stating the formal axioms and being done. There’s a whole further art to finding the truth and accomplishing value from inside a human mind: we have to learn our own flaws, overcome our biases, prevent ourselves from self-deceiving, get ourselves into good emotional shape to confront the truth and do what needs doing, etcetera etcetera and so on.
It seems that being completely secure in a position makes it impossible to for you to challenge that position, which works against acting in a more rational fashion.
An alternative way to not be offended might be found here. In summary, the author argues that ‘If people can’t think clearly about anything that has become part of their identity, then all other things being equal, the best plan is to let as few things into your identity as possible.’
It is sometimes useful not to artificially exclude the middle when using natural language.
In this case, for example, I suspect it’s possible to have a level of what we’re calling “security” here that is not so high that it precludes updating on evidence (supposing you’re correct that too high a level of security leads to the inability to update), while at the same time being high enough to avoid offense (supposing bobneumann is correct that too low a level of security leads to an increased chance of taking offense).
I do agree that keeping your identity small is also helpful, though.
I’m not sure how to interpret your comment, so I’d like you to clarify. Are you using theists who feel secure in their relationship with god as an example of a way some people avoid being offended? Are you saying you are one such theist? Are you making a recommendation of something?
I think one key in not being offended is being secure in your own person and position. If you’re not actually worried that someone or their remarks may actually hurt or damage you, then it’s easy to remain objective and not take offense.
In the Old Testament it says, “Great peace have they which love Thy law, and nothing shall offend them.” I’d like to think that I’m secure in my position relating to the very Creator of the universe. So, to the degree that I am truly secure in that position, what can anyone really do or say to upset me?
Force you to abandon that security by bringing it into logical conflict with another position that you feel equally secure in.
I am very new to LW, but this seems like a dangerous position to take for a rationalist! From “What Do We Mean By ‘Rationality’”: [Italics Mine]
It seems that being completely secure in a position makes it impossible to for you to challenge that position, which works against acting in a more rational fashion.
An alternative way to not be offended might be found here. In summary, the author argues that ‘If people can’t think clearly about anything that has become part of their identity, then all other things being equal, the best plan is to let as few things into your identity as possible.’
It is sometimes useful not to artificially exclude the middle when using natural language.
In this case, for example, I suspect it’s possible to have a level of what we’re calling “security” here that is not so high that it precludes updating on evidence (supposing you’re correct that too high a level of security leads to the inability to update), while at the same time being high enough to avoid offense (supposing bobneumann is correct that too low a level of security leads to an increased chance of taking offense).
I do agree that keeping your identity small is also helpful, though.
I’m not sure how to interpret your comment, so I’d like you to clarify. Are you using theists who feel secure in their relationship with god as an example of a way some people avoid being offended? Are you saying you are one such theist? Are you making a recommendation of something?