Comments on: the few honest people http://blog.ginsudo.com/2010/01/25/the-few-honest-people/ the way of ginsu Sun, 18 Jul 2010 14:36:25 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.com/ By: ginsu http://blog.ginsudo.com/2010/01/25/the-few-honest-people/#comment-195 ginsu Tue, 23 Feb 2010 17:13:21 +0000 http://blog.ginsudo.com/?p=599#comment-195 Ah, Norman, you are really drawing out the pedant in me. Although life expectancy in the '20s was closer to 55 years, that does not mean that Nick was at middle age for his time. The low average life expectancy back then was largely due to higher infant mortality rates. And of course, men of Nick's generation also had World War I skewing the average a bit. But once living into adulthood and past the Great War, Nick probably had a remaining life expectancy well into his 60s. That said, you're right: I didn't take the earlier era into account, and age 30 was generally more mature then than it is now. Finally, based on my own experience as a distracted, self-absorbed drunk, I would say that honesty about the condition is of little virtue. This is related to something called "The Asshole Fallacy" - where a person behaves generally as an asshole but believes that this is ok because he acknowledges that he is an asshole. We've all met someone like this, generally during freshman year of college. Honesty actually contributes to the problem when it becomes an excuse not to improve the situation. Virtue requires stopping the behavior, for which honesty may be necessary but is not sufficient. Ah, Norman, you are really drawing out the pedant in me. Although life expectancy in the ’20s was closer to 55 years, that does not mean that Nick was at middle age for his time. The low average life expectancy back then was largely due to higher infant mortality rates. And of course, men of Nick’s generation also had World War I skewing the average a bit. But once living into adulthood and past the Great War, Nick probably had a remaining life expectancy well into his 60s.

That said, you’re right: I didn’t take the earlier era into account, and age 30 was generally more mature then than it is now.

Finally, based on my own experience as a distracted, self-absorbed drunk, I would say that honesty about the condition is of little virtue. This is related to something called “The Asshole Fallacy” – where a person behaves generally as an asshole but believes that this is ok because he acknowledges that he is an asshole. We’ve all met someone like this, generally during freshman year of college. Honesty actually contributes to the problem when it becomes an excuse not to improve the situation. Virtue requires stopping the behavior, for which honesty may be necessary but is not sufficient.

]]> By: norman http://blog.ginsudo.com/2010/01/25/the-few-honest-people/#comment-194 norman Tue, 23 Feb 2010 07:09:08 +0000 http://blog.ginsudo.com/?p=599#comment-194 Considering this novel was written around 1920, Nick's life expectancy would have been closer to 55 years, so he had, in fact, already past the halfway point on his expected lifespan. You don't think being honest about being a distracted, self absorbed drunk could be defended as virtuous? Considering this novel was written around 1920, Nick’s life expectancy would have been closer to 55 years, so he had, in fact, already past the halfway point on his expected lifespan.

You don’t think being honest about being a distracted, self absorbed drunk could be defended as virtuous?

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