That all makes sense. However, in an ideal telepathic society, people would learn about those who need time to think and space to appreciate what you like, and you’d be cut slack and not be argued with about things that aren’t urgent.
For that matter, people who like to argue would always have someone available to argue with.
Maybe. However, we have been told that this society is said to be happy and not devolved into a shit-flinging match, I suspect that the way it usually works out is more benign. Or they kill/expel the infidels and our happiness sample is biased.
we have been told that this society is said to be happy and not devolved into a shit-flinging match
Leaving aside the credibility issues of such a claim, I can easily imagine a happy society where most people feel good about themselves and each Sunday they all gather in the pubic square to cheer at the burning of the witches who in their evil little hearts doubted the greatness and the benevolence of X. Pick X to suit.
Just as normal people play a lot of signalling games, the telepathic society would probably invent a new layer of them. (Which does not prove that those games would be worse than those we have now.)
For example, people who need more time to think may be given more space and at the same time could be perceived as e.g. less intelligent—just how we would automatically feel now about slow-speaking people.
That all makes sense. However, in an ideal telepathic society, people would learn about those who need time to think and space to appreciate what you like, and you’d be cut slack and not be argued with about things that aren’t urgent.
For that matter, people who like to argue would always have someone available to argue with.
Your model of a typical human mind seems fundamentally more charitable than mine.
If you’re telepathic, you can feel their pain as your own. That’s a game-changer.
Public torture of undesirables pour encourager les autres becomes a REALLY effective technique, don’t you think?
I was thinking more along the lines of ‘Oh shoot. I really hurt them, didn’t I?’
Yes, I know.
However another likely thought would be “Good, it *should* hurt, you’re a bad person”.
Maybe. However, we have been told that this society is said to be happy and not devolved into a shit-flinging match, I suspect that the way it usually works out is more benign. Or they kill/expel the infidels and our happiness sample is biased.
Leaving aside the credibility issues of such a claim, I can easily imagine a happy society where most people feel good about themselves and each Sunday they all gather in the pubic square to cheer at the burning of the witches who in their evil little hearts doubted the greatness and the benevolence of X. Pick X to suit.
You can savor it! A certain subset of people will find that hurting people has suddenly become more fun than ever.
People who do this might be killed. Is there a reason to think a telepathic society would be wimpy?
Just as normal people play a lot of signalling games, the telepathic society would probably invent a new layer of them. (Which does not prove that those games would be worse than those we have now.)
For example, people who need more time to think may be given more space and at the same time could be perceived as e.g. less intelligent—just how we would automatically feel now about slow-speaking people.