Why not look for ways to optimise it if it’s not optimal?
Because there are a million other things in my life that aren’t optimal, and the way I deal with books leaves me reasonably well satisfied even though it may not be optimal. (Note also that I only said I don’t claim it’s optimal even for me; it may in fact be optimal for me, but I don’t have any sort of proof and don’t wish to spend the time and energy it would take to defend the claim if I made it.)
How many of those do you think you’ll ever actually read?
Approximately all of them. My book-reading rate isn’t much slower than my book-buying rate.
I see that as a phenomenal waste of money.
Aside from the fact that (as already noted) I expect to read the great majority of them eventually, I refer you to Umberto Eco’s essay on “How to justify a private library” (part of his collection entitled “How to travel with a salmon”, which also contains useful advice on “How to recognize a porn movie” and “How to go through customs”), which I shall not quote here; you may pirate the book at your leisure and read it yourself.
In any case, having (let’s say) $5000 of wealth tied up in books I haven’t read yet (providing me with goods such as an ample choice of the next thing to read when I finish one, reinforcement of my notion of myself as an erudite intellectual sort of chap, helping to support the portion of the economy concerned with books, having lots of interesting things sat around for my daughter to read as she grows old enough to appreciate them, etc.) seems to me no worse than having a similar sum tied up in having a slightly nicer car or house than one needs. Especially as the books were almost all purchased at good prices (used, or while nicely reduced on Amazon, or whatever) and probably retain a substantial fraction of the value I paid for them—unlike, e.g., the car. None of which means it’s a good thing—it might or might not be—but it’s at any rate no worse than indulgences that I bet you don’t bother to criticize when you find them in others. Or, who knows?, in yourself.
that which is sub-optimal should be optimised
I think that principle is sub-optimal. Things that are probably sub-optimal include (for me as for just about everyone else alive) my diet, my job, my sex life, my political beliefs, my choice of reading matter, my choice of other leisure activities, my selection of friends, the set of skills I’ve taken the trouble to acquire, my financial arrangements, my dress sense, my relationships with family and friends, … and if I attempted to optimize everything sub-optimal I’d have no time or energy left for anything else.
I find it inconceivable that you can’t find any good use for the money you save by not buying books
I didn’t say that. I was just deflecting one more specific objection. I’m sure I could find other good uses for the money. I see no reason to think they’d be any better than buying books.
this preference might just be status quo bias.
Yup, it might be status quo bias. I am aware that I am slower-than-optimal to make major changes in my life, and I expect the two things are related.
Ah, but does that really rank higher on your preference rankings than existential risk reduction?
It ranks higher on my preference rankings than saving the cost of the book by pirating it. So, out of {do nothing, pirate, buy} I choose buy over pirate. The remaining question is whether it’s wrong for the enjoyment of reading to rank above existential risk reduction (or saving the lives of poor people in Africa, or influencing national politics, or any of the other Big Things I could do with my money instead of indulging myself), and on that I’m the same pile of contradictions and hacks as everyone else, which I justify (in so far as I do) in what I take to be the usual ways: staying sane and happy probably lets me contribute more to those things in total, my self-centred preferences are what they are and I shouldn’t pretend otherwise, etc., etc., etc.
I should probably end this discussion now.
In which case, I apologize if any of the foregoing seems to require a response. Please be assured that if none is forthcoming I shall neither say nor think that it means you’re conceding any point you don’t concede explicitly :-).
Approximately all of them. My book-reading rate isn’t much slower than my book-buying rate.
In that case, I wouldn’t call it ‘a phenomenal waste of money’, which renders the next paragraph of your comment rather pointless.
I think that principle is sub-optimal.
Now that I think about it… The principle is not sub-optimal (unless you start optimising for the amount of suffering in the world or something) but, yes, the implied strategy (optimise ALL the things!! Optimise whatever seems sub-optimal! Optimise them NOW!) definitely is.
...which I justify (in so far as I do) in what I take to be the usual ways...
Ah, a Fully General Counter-Counterargument to counter a Fully General Counterargument. Fair enough, I guess.
I will now edit my original comment to reflect this discussion.
Because there are a million other things in my life that aren’t optimal, and the way I deal with books leaves me reasonably well satisfied even though it may not be optimal. (Note also that I only said I don’t claim it’s optimal even for me; it may in fact be optimal for me, but I don’t have any sort of proof and don’t wish to spend the time and energy it would take to defend the claim if I made it.)
Approximately all of them. My book-reading rate isn’t much slower than my book-buying rate.
Aside from the fact that (as already noted) I expect to read the great majority of them eventually, I refer you to Umberto Eco’s essay on “How to justify a private library” (part of his collection entitled “How to travel with a salmon”, which also contains useful advice on “How to recognize a porn movie” and “How to go through customs”), which I shall not quote here; you may pirate the book at your leisure and read it yourself.
In any case, having (let’s say) $5000 of wealth tied up in books I haven’t read yet (providing me with goods such as an ample choice of the next thing to read when I finish one, reinforcement of my notion of myself as an erudite intellectual sort of chap, helping to support the portion of the economy concerned with books, having lots of interesting things sat around for my daughter to read as she grows old enough to appreciate them, etc.) seems to me no worse than having a similar sum tied up in having a slightly nicer car or house than one needs. Especially as the books were almost all purchased at good prices (used, or while nicely reduced on Amazon, or whatever) and probably retain a substantial fraction of the value I paid for them—unlike, e.g., the car. None of which means it’s a good thing—it might or might not be—but it’s at any rate no worse than indulgences that I bet you don’t bother to criticize when you find them in others. Or, who knows?, in yourself.
I think that principle is sub-optimal. Things that are probably sub-optimal include (for me as for just about everyone else alive) my diet, my job, my sex life, my political beliefs, my choice of reading matter, my choice of other leisure activities, my selection of friends, the set of skills I’ve taken the trouble to acquire, my financial arrangements, my dress sense, my relationships with family and friends, … and if I attempted to optimize everything sub-optimal I’d have no time or energy left for anything else.
I didn’t say that. I was just deflecting one more specific objection. I’m sure I could find other good uses for the money. I see no reason to think they’d be any better than buying books.
Yup, it might be status quo bias. I am aware that I am slower-than-optimal to make major changes in my life, and I expect the two things are related.
It ranks higher on my preference rankings than saving the cost of the book by pirating it. So, out of {do nothing, pirate, buy} I choose buy over pirate. The remaining question is whether it’s wrong for the enjoyment of reading to rank above existential risk reduction (or saving the lives of poor people in Africa, or influencing national politics, or any of the other Big Things I could do with my money instead of indulging myself), and on that I’m the same pile of contradictions and hacks as everyone else, which I justify (in so far as I do) in what I take to be the usual ways: staying sane and happy probably lets me contribute more to those things in total, my self-centred preferences are what they are and I shouldn’t pretend otherwise, etc., etc., etc.
In which case, I apologize if any of the foregoing seems to require a response. Please be assured that if none is forthcoming I shall neither say nor think that it means you’re conceding any point you don’t concede explicitly :-).
In that case, I wouldn’t call it ‘a phenomenal waste of money’, which renders the next paragraph of your comment rather pointless.
Now that I think about it… The principle is not sub-optimal (unless you start optimising for the amount of suffering in the world or something) but, yes, the implied strategy (optimise ALL the things!! Optimise whatever seems sub-optimal! Optimise them NOW!) definitely is.
Ah, a Fully General Counter-Counterargument to counter a Fully General Counterargument. Fair enough, I guess.
I will now edit my original comment to reflect this discussion.
Edit: Done.