Voted up for using data, though I’m very far from convinced by the specific data. The first seems irrelevant or at best very weakly suggestive. Regarding the second, I’m pretty confident that scientists profoundly mis-understand what sort of thing hypocrisy is as a consequence of the same profound misunderstanding of what sort of thing mind is which lead to the failures of GOFAI. I guess I also think they misunderstand what corruption is, though I’m less clear on that.
It’s really critical that we distinguish power corrupting from fear and weakness producing pro-social submission and from fearful people invoking morality to cover over cowardice. In the usual sense of the former concept corruption is something that should be expected, for instance, to be much more gradual. One should really notice that heroes in stories for adults are not generally rule-abiding, and frequently aren’t even typically selfless. Acting more antisocial, like the people you actually admire (except when you are busy resenting their affronts to you) do, because like them you are no longer afraid is totally different from acting like people you detest.
I don’t think that “power corrupts” is a helpful approximation at the level of critical thinking ability common here. (what models are useful depends on what other models you have).
Voted up for using data, though I’m very far from convinced by the specific data. The first seems irrelevant or at best very weakly suggestive. Regarding the second, I’m pretty confident that scientists profoundly mis-understand what sort of thing hypocrisy is as a consequence of the same profound misunderstanding of what sort of thing mind is which lead to the failures of GOFAI. I guess I also think they misunderstand what corruption is, though I’m less clear on that.
It’s really critical that we distinguish power corrupting from fear and weakness producing pro-social submission and from fearful people invoking morality to cover over cowardice. In the usual sense of the former concept corruption is something that should be expected, for instance, to be much more gradual. One should really notice that heroes in stories for adults are not generally rule-abiding, and frequently aren’t even typically selfless. Acting more antisocial, like the people you actually admire (except when you are busy resenting their affronts to you) do, because like them you are no longer afraid is totally different from acting like people you detest.
I don’t think that “power corrupts” is a helpful approximation at the level of critical thinking ability common here. (what models are useful depends on what other models you have).