Friends aren’t resources for intellectual stimulation or new insights. I don’t want my friends to like me because I read niche blogs or have things to say about crypto. It comes dangerously close to conflating knowing a lot, reading a lot, or having thoughtful things to say with moral goodness.
I think I would reverse most sentences in this paragraph. Being able to think for yourself and have your own useful and insightful takes on how the world is working seems to me closer to a requirement for being able to take morally good action. Anything can be goodharted, but it doesn’t mean that we should believe that there is an inverse correlation.
One thing I keep coming back to is open-mindedness...
Something I appreciated when living in Austin was my friends’ willingness to do anything at any time. Basketball until 1am? Yeah, we got five. Someone wants to go to happy hour? There’s a group ready to join you. I remember us discussing a Super Bowl watch party literal hours ahead of kickoff. Nothing was planned yet, but there was never a doubt that we would get something going.
These friends expand our boxes of possible experience. Spontaneity and unconstrained eagerness feel good because they are exercises in doing without thinking too much.
This seems like a fine thing to look for in a friendship, and I agree that open-mindedness is a positive trait. I would definitely object to “spontaneity” being a core part of what “we” should all want as a “north star”. I think there’s a strong current here of “lots of experiences” which many people don’t want (as opposed to a simple and steady life). I think having your best interests at heart, moral virtue, reliability, and a bunch of other things can be good without the spontaneity aspect, so I don’t think it’s something that all people should want.
I think I would reverse most sentences in this paragraph. Being able to think for yourself and have your own useful and insightful takes on how the world is working seems to me closer to a requirement for being able to take morally good action. Anything can be goodharted, but it doesn’t mean that we should believe that there is an inverse correlation.
This seems like a fine thing to look for in a friendship, and I agree that open-mindedness is a positive trait. I would definitely object to “spontaneity” being a core part of what “we” should all want as a “north star”. I think there’s a strong current here of “lots of experiences” which many people don’t want (as opposed to a simple and steady life). I think having your best interests at heart, moral virtue, reliability, and a bunch of other things can be good without the spontaneity aspect, so I don’t think it’s something that all people should want.