I have no problem just lying to conventional altruists
What’s your goal here? To make them feel better? To avoid seeming like a jerk? Or to further whatever goals you consider altruistic/generally a good idea? If the last one, why lie to them? Because you think there’s no way they’ll see your point?
Obviously none of us speaks our minds all the time—when I see someone giving to a cause I consider inefficient, I don’t shout, “Wait, I know a better way!” But if there’s an opportunity, saying “I really wonder if increasing the world’s population is a good idea at this point, so I favor charities that focus on quality of life rather than lives saved” seems better to me than false agreement. Jerkitude and lying are not your only options here.
What’s your goal here? To make them feel better? To avoid seeming like a jerk?
To execute the role of someone with rudimentary social skills and reap the many benefits that go along with that. Sometimes evangelism (or obnoxious invalidation of people’s warm-fuzzies) just isn’t the most useful action in a given circumstance.
“Wedrifid” is somewhat more forthright than I in this regard.
What’s your goal here? To make them feel better? To avoid seeming like a jerk? Or to further whatever goals you consider altruistic/generally a good idea? If the last one, why lie to them? Because you think there’s no way they’ll see your point?
Obviously none of us speaks our minds all the time—when I see someone giving to a cause I consider inefficient, I don’t shout, “Wait, I know a better way!” But if there’s an opportunity, saying “I really wonder if increasing the world’s population is a good idea at this point, so I favor charities that focus on quality of life rather than lives saved” seems better to me than false agreement. Jerkitude and lying are not your only options here.
To execute the role of someone with rudimentary social skills and reap the many benefits that go along with that. Sometimes evangelism (or obnoxious invalidation of people’s warm-fuzzies) just isn’t the most useful action in a given circumstance.
“Wedrifid” is somewhat more forthright than I in this regard.