The other thing to say about this is: I don’t think helping strangers, or explaining to others how to help strangers—without any thought to what it might signal—is at all irrational.
I understand perfectly well, that for people with certain kinds of utilitarian goal systems, this kind of thing all makes perfect sense—and is absolutely the rational thing to do.
It is pretty strange that any such utilitarian people exist in the first place—but if we accept that axiomatically, things like the discussion on this thread follow—without any need for invoking irrationality.
The other thing to say about this is: I don’t think helping strangers, or explaining to others how to help strangers—without any thought to what it might signal—is at all irrational.
I understand perfectly well, that for people with certain kinds of utilitarian goal systems, this kind of thing all makes perfect sense—and is absolutely the rational thing to do.
It is pretty strange that any such utilitarian people exist in the first place—but if we accept that axiomatically, things like the discussion on this thread follow—without any need for invoking irrationality.