Disclaimer: in large part, I am trying to persuade myself.
Even now, I fail to apply the Litany of Tarski. “If I’m really a man, then I desire to bel—” Wait, doesn’t compute.
I feel similarly, and I begin to suspect that my brain is treating it like a moral, rather than empirical, proposition. Consider: “If I am evil, then I wish to believe I am evil”? No. It should read: “If I am evil, then I wish to fix that problem.”
How then can Tarski apply to a morally-charged proposition? It’s probably better not to go around thinking things like “I am an evil person”, since such beliefs tend to be self-fulfilling. But I think there’s some room to think things like “In certain respects, I have been behaving as though I were evil.” By treating the situation in terms of individual symptoms, rather than underlying traits, it becomes much easier to make the world into what you choose. Don’t say, “am I really a good person?” but rather “I would like to stop kicking puppies”.
Obviously, gender isn’t actually a moral proposition. But if you alieve that it is, it might be useful to treat it like one.
Because that’s not what I meant and everyone knows it.
I do wish to believe that I am evil, conditional on my being evil. If I turn out not to be evil, I wish to know that, and if I turn out not to be good, I wish to know that too. Litany of Tarski.
Disclaimer: in large part, I am trying to persuade myself.
I feel similarly, and I begin to suspect that my brain is treating it like a moral, rather than empirical, proposition. Consider: “If I am evil, then I wish to believe I am evil”? No. It should read: “If I am evil, then I wish to fix that problem.”
How then can Tarski apply to a morally-charged proposition? It’s probably better not to go around thinking things like “I am an evil person”, since such beliefs tend to be self-fulfilling. But I think there’s some room to think things like “In certain respects, I have been behaving as though I were evil.” By treating the situation in terms of individual symptoms, rather than underlying traits, it becomes much easier to make the world into what you choose. Don’t say, “am I really a good person?” but rather “I would like to stop kicking puppies”.
Obviously, gender isn’t actually a moral proposition. But if you alieve that it is, it might be useful to treat it like one.
If I am evil, then I wish to believe that I am evil, so that I will know to fix that problem.
It helps to consider the evil individual who doesn’t know they’re evil. They wont become good, will they? Because they don’t know to try.
If I am evil, then I wish to believe that I am evil. I don’t wish to believe that I am evil. Therefore I am not evil.
Because that’s not what I meant and everyone knows it.
I do wish to believe that I am evil, conditional on my being evil. If I turn out not to be evil, I wish to know that, and if I turn out not to be good, I wish to know that too. Litany of Tarski.
I also know that’s not what you meant, though. I… don’t even know what to think about people anymore. Comment retracted.
I … see. I guess it was just very easy to misinterpret.