an observable “epistemic effort” correlate of virtue signaling distinguishes it from virtue owl232.net/papers/passivi
Conversation
are there phenomena/institutions/techs that harness low-epistemic-effort energies for good?
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Replying to
Hmm this assumes sufficient intelligence to question superficial claims of efficacy. Ie virtue signaling may be indistinguishable from virtue in the stupid.
An intelligence independence test may be how you react when credibly informed that a signal activity is in fact useless
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For example, a few years ago I learned that recycling is largely useless except for aluminum. Not something I could have easily discovered on my own, but once I learned, my behavior did change. I’m now sincere in recycling aluminum. Other things only for social acceptability.
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Edit: not just intelligence, but energetic skepticism of everything. Just not worth questioning 90% of the time whether a low-cost ritual in particular is efficacious or not. If it is, you gain a lot. If not, you lose a little.
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Basically I think this line of thought conflates intent to virtue signal from deep laziness social harmony compliance. There’s a behavioral regime you could call conventionalism that lies between conscious virtue signaling and empirically refined efficacious action.
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Economic Mimesis
I want a bumper sticker that says “What Would Rene Gerard Do?”
Also, David Lewis, “Convention” good on this topic. Convention explains way more behavior than intentional agency, whether socially or materially motivated
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