What? Rock climbing demonstrates depth? Circus skills are virtuous?
Which hobbies are especially shallow and narcissistic? Arts, crafts, gardening, cooking? Team sport, extreme sport, cycling, karate, yoga? Romance novels, short films, video games? Genealogy, collecting, puzzle solving? Card games, brewing, stage magic, lock picking? Sailing, camping, fishing, geocaching, trainspotting?
You are right that a cluster exists, and not everyone will be a con-langing, rocket building, capoeira fighter, but the attributes you’re naming don’t select for that group (or any group really).
Perhaps “virtuous” and “shallow” aren’t the ideal words to use, but they seemed to be pointing well-enough to the concept I was trying to get at.
Let’s say Albert has a ridiculously well-defined physique. Can you recognise that him saying “I do a lot of rock climbing” appears less narcissistic and shallow than “I spend hours and hours toning up at the gym”?
OK. I think I’ve figured out the miscommunication here. My claim isn’t that these activities select for people who exhibit virtue and depth, but for people smart enough at signalling to pursue “vain” outcomes incidentally through indirect means, and wealthy enough to waste a lot of time doing it.
As a personal example, I am currently learning authentic jazz dancing. On one level this is because I find it intrinsically enjoyable, but on another level I’m less proud of, it’s because many women in my social circle exhibit intense arousal when they see a guy in a sharp suit bust out a sweet Charleston solo.
There are more direct and less time-consuming ways of accomplishing this, but I don’t much care for them. On one level, I don’t much care for them because I find them dull and uninteresting, but on another level I’m less proud of, it’s because I want to signal to a more discerning audience.
What? Rock climbing demonstrates depth? Circus skills are virtuous?
Which hobbies are especially shallow and narcissistic? Arts, crafts, gardening, cooking? Team sport, extreme sport, cycling, karate, yoga? Romance novels, short films, video games? Genealogy, collecting, puzzle solving? Card games, brewing, stage magic, lock picking? Sailing, camping, fishing, geocaching, trainspotting?
You are right that a cluster exists, and not everyone will be a con-langing, rocket building, capoeira fighter, but the attributes you’re naming don’t select for that group (or any group really).
Perhaps “virtuous” and “shallow” aren’t the ideal words to use, but they seemed to be pointing well-enough to the concept I was trying to get at.
Let’s say Albert has a ridiculously well-defined physique. Can you recognise that him saying “I do a lot of rock climbing” appears less narcissistic and shallow than “I spend hours and hours toning up at the gym”?
OK. I think I’ve figured out the miscommunication here. My claim isn’t that these activities select for people who exhibit virtue and depth, but for people smart enough at signalling to pursue “vain” outcomes incidentally through indirect means, and wealthy enough to waste a lot of time doing it.
As a personal example, I am currently learning authentic jazz dancing. On one level this is because I find it intrinsically enjoyable, but on another level I’m less proud of, it’s because many women in my social circle exhibit intense arousal when they see a guy in a sharp suit bust out a sweet Charleston solo.
There are more direct and less time-consuming ways of accomplishing this, but I don’t much care for them. On one level, I don’t much care for them because I find them dull and uninteresting, but on another level I’m less proud of, it’s because I want to signal to a more discerning audience.