Could you explain the idea of "diachronically instrumentally irrational choices, such as prioritizing a weak present preference over a strong future preference"?. I don't see see how we can say high time preference is irrational any more than we can say the high future preference is irrational
Here's a paradigm example of irrationality: Refusing to go to the dentist today (when it's just mildly unpleasant) when the alternative is awful tooth pain many months from now.
okay, I see how that example is irrational. I just have a hard seeing where we draw the line between that and "rational" examples of time preference, like spending instead of saving. Even in that example, I would consider it rational if say, the relevant person knew they were going to die in a few months anyway. But what if they had, say, a 50% of chance of being dead in a few months? At some point the time preference comes in as a factor and I don't know how to say at what value it becomes 'irrational'
When I look at systems like Cuba, China, Saudi Arabia or the "authoritarian" regimes, it looks like most people don't value autonomy much. I remember Jason Brennan saying how common folks are actually more authoritarian or paternalistic than liberal philosophers. It was during the chat with Alex O Connor.
Since you mention Cuba, millions fled after the revolution (estimated at around 3 million from '59 to today), presumably because they valued their autonomy (along with other important things like not being poor and/or dead)
I think it depends on what you mean by common folk but I guess this is one of those things that changes between places and times. I don’t know if it can be “proved” that people are intrinsically not very interested in autonomy
Could you explain the idea of "diachronically instrumentally irrational choices, such as prioritizing a weak present preference over a strong future preference"?. I don't see see how we can say high time preference is irrational any more than we can say the high future preference is irrational
Here's a paradigm example of irrationality: Refusing to go to the dentist today (when it's just mildly unpleasant) when the alternative is awful tooth pain many months from now.
okay, I see how that example is irrational. I just have a hard seeing where we draw the line between that and "rational" examples of time preference, like spending instead of saving. Even in that example, I would consider it rational if say, the relevant person knew they were going to die in a few months anyway. But what if they had, say, a 50% of chance of being dead in a few months? At some point the time preference comes in as a factor and I don't know how to say at what value it becomes 'irrational'
When I look at systems like Cuba, China, Saudi Arabia or the "authoritarian" regimes, it looks like most people don't value autonomy much. I remember Jason Brennan saying how common folks are actually more authoritarian or paternalistic than liberal philosophers. It was during the chat with Alex O Connor.
Since you mention Cuba, millions fled after the revolution (estimated at around 3 million from '59 to today), presumably because they valued their autonomy (along with other important things like not being poor and/or dead)
I think it depends on what you mean by common folk but I guess this is one of those things that changes between places and times. I don’t know if it can be “proved” that people are intrinsically not very interested in autonomy