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PaperclipPerfector  1yr ago (text post)   26925 thread views

Culture War Roundup for the week of September 25, 2023

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I'm not entirely convinced they are even correct about the problem.

We don't know for certain that people in hunter-gatherer societies also don't feel some sort of alienation with the labor they do. Our translations of current hunter-gatherer societies aren't great, we aren't even sure if they can count most of the time. And by definition they usually don't write anything down.

It reminds me more of the common complaint by marxists that the workers are forced to either work or starve. As if this is somehow a valid criticism of capitalism. Its a criticism of life and the universe in general. Sorry we can't just subsist on mana falling from heaven.

In my model there are more steps, and they've barely done any of the work:

  1. Identify the problem in a place / time / culture.
  2. Identify a place / time / culture where the problem does not happen.
  3. Understand how the noun in #2 avoids the problem.
  4. Use that understanding to create a solution.
  5. Test solution small scale.
  6. Test / fully implement large scale.
  7. If #5 or #6 fail, go back to #2 and double check everything.

We don't know for certain that people in hunter-gatherer societies also don't feel some sort of alienation with the labor they do.

IIRC when they tried explaining depression to hunter-gatherers, the hunter-gatherers straight-up thought the idea was absurd.

I don't think all the West's problems come from this, but this is very definitely a big part of depression.

Most people have that reaction to depression. Unless they themselves are depressed. And even then if you are the one weird person with an affliction you are better off hiding it.

Scott has an article (book review?) about mental illness and social contagion. He talks about the inuit a hunter gatherer society. I didn't get the sense you could ever get an inuit to admit to depression, they'd basically be signing up for a lifetime of being made fun of for it.

Well, I know I managed to somehow generate the same hypothesis as Kaczynski despite never actually getting around to reading his manifesto. Don't remember the details of how I came to the conclusion, though.

(Of course, physical activity and social contact per se are also relevant.)

I know he reviewed Crazy Like Us, but the Inuit weren't mentioned.

Found it: https://www.astralcodexten.com/p/book-review-the-arctic-hysterias

I know I read that, but I must have forgotten. Not sure what went on there.

It reminds me more of the common complaint by marxists that the workers are forced to either work or starve.

Modern Marxists, but not historic ones. Lenin and Stalin were, for a couple of atheists, rather fond of "He who does not work, neither shall he eat."

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