Ask a Human

[Raisin Bran]

How did you ''humans'' end-up on planet earth?

 

[Desmond Hawkins]

Probably the answer is same as why we are chatting here on message board and not in nearby pub?

Which is what I am sort of getting to in a round about way.

Humans are not really homo "economicus". A rational actor that always makes decisions to optimize its well being.

Instead, people "satisfice". They are willing to select an option that will sufficiently "satisfy" themselves, while not necessarily taking the optimal option. In terms of happiness, going out and creating meaningful relationships with people in physical contact would probably be optimal.

But chatting with strangers on the internet is satisfying enough that lots of people ignore the better, optimal option which may not actually require much more effort.

Curious species. Tends to leave "well enough" alone.

 

[MjM]

Why haven't you answered any questions?

 

[Desmond Hawkins]

Why haven't you answered any questions?

Well, he is offline I think. I am expecting a humourous and satisfying Bozo response as well. Or else.

 

[MjM]

Well, he is offline I think. I am expecting a humourous and satisfying Bozo response as well. Or else.

I don't expect much. Never do.

 

[C~G]

But chatting with strangers on the internet is satisfying enough that lots of people ignore the better, optimal option which may not actually require much more effort.

I also believe people are optimized in general towards physical face-to-face contact with people. I have met few people who say they were already getting crazy since they were staring only their screen and being in chat instead of talking to people in physical reality.

But the level of optimization depends from invidual. I believe the "physical contact" which you see it as optimal isn't in fact so "physical experience" when we look deeper into it (Example the above bar setting) and internet offers options that gathering around physically doesn't.

For me it's matter of balance. I get from here something that local pub doesn't offer (and vice versa).

Example a canadian with who to talk about the nature of our species.

Why haven't you answered any questions?

OR...since it's Bozo's thread, he excepts ourselves to answer the questions asked.

 

[skadistic]

About the sheding of skin thing it happens less then every year. Just not all at once. most of you skin ends up in your clothes and towels.

 

[Swedishguy]

As an elf, I have a question: How can you humans put up with mortality? We ain't so stupid as that centaur giving up his immortality babbling about some 'agonizing' feutures.

 

[Desmond Hawkins]

I also believe people are optimized in general towards physical face-to-face contact with people. I have met few people who say they were already getting crazy since they were staring only their screen and being in chat instead of talking to people in physical reality.

But the level of optimization depends from invidual. I believe the "physical contact" which you see it as optimal isn't in fact so "physical experience" when we look deeper into it (Example the above bar setting) and internet offers options that gathering around physically doesn't.

For me it's matter of balance. I get from here something that local pub doesn't offer (and vice versa).

Example a canadian with who to talk about the nature of our species.
D

Talking to Canadians is pretty awesome.

My point isn't that there is no benefit from being on the internet, but that people do not necessarily choose the optimal balance between "real" and "virtual" life.

How many threads have we seen about people suddenly freaking out that they have wasted their entire lives on these forums without developing a more satisfying social life? And how many come here simply based on habit? Habit based on "good enough" behaviour is sometimes more powerful than rational self-interest.

A perfectly rational alien might wonder why we are not always attempting to optimize our lifestyles instead of habitually behaving in an inefficient and non-optimal way. Well, strong neurological connections develop that makes it difficult for us to change our ways.

 

[C~G]

Talking to Canadians is pretty awesome.

My point isn't that there is no benefit from being on the internet, but that people do not necessarily choose the optimal balance between "real" and "virtual" life.

Or they value the virtual more than the real?

I think the difficult part is that the virtual becomes "real" and real becomes "virtual" for some people. It's very hard to tell the difference sometimes if you speak about in highly theoretical fashion.

It's little bit like with physical activity. When you do it enough, you don't actually even pay attention to the actual physical activity (moving my legs while running etc.). Example if you have practiced certain things like in martial arts, it becomes like your second nature and you don't think the invidual movements but just follow through the motion.

For me this question is extremely interesting since it first opened myself the possibility that there isn't division between body and the mind (I was something like twelve).

How many threads have we seen about people suddenly freaking out that they have wasted their entire lives on these forums without developing a more satisfying social life? And how many come here simply based on habit? Habit based on "good enough" behaviour is sometimes more powerful than rational self-interest.

And I fully agree about this.
It's indeed habit and I personally have spend for several reasons insanious amount of time in Internet lately but thank god it's about to change. For people who do this for years, I can only say that they should go out more. There's only one life and I can say spending in it virtual world isn't worth it.

But like said it's bad habit and it's very hard to get out of it since behaviour that causes us to "ease up" and into which we are used to usually keeps us in this "safety zone" (which you describe as "good enough"). See my sig

A perfectly rational alien might wonder why we are not always attempting to optimize our lifestyles instead of habitually behaving in an inefficient and non-optimal way. Well, strong neurological connections develop that makes it difficult for us to change our ways.

That would be great but our whole behaviour is indeed based into habits and into those neurological connections. Only if we encounter new activity that greatly affects those connections we change the behaviour pattern. I would say even our "rationality" is based into these patterns, nothing else.

 

[Desmond Hawkins]

The interesting thing about human behaviour is that it is impossible to tell if humans are acting in their personal rational self-interest.

They cannot truly tell you if they would be better off of they did something different, and revealed behaviour studies cannot tell you either. All they reveal is what people do. I suppose the theory of the field of economics would be terribly frustrating.

Damnit, if only we had a real human to answer our questions. Where is Bozo!

 

[Veritass]

I have observed in the human behavior that there seems to be competing internal drives. First there is a drive to include: to form into groups of all sorts based on games you play, beliefs you have, schools you have attended, work you do, etc. Second this is a drive to exclude: to declare your group better than the other groups, the other beliefs, the other workplaces.

Do you experience these competing drives? Do you believe they are part of the human hardware (biology) or software (societal conditioning)?

What say you, hu-man?

 

[Rossiya]

This thread was reopened in the hope that there would be no spam. How can this thread not be deemed spam? Oh well.

What do you think of our arch-nemeses, the monkeys? (not the band, the animal species, and no, I have spelt "nemeses" correctly, that is the plural of "nemesis")

 

[Xanikk999]

This thread was reopened in the hope that there would be no spam. How can this thread not be deemed spam? Oh well.

Certain "mods" are very hypocritical. Just take a look back a couple pages and see my threads. I can say no more.

Moderator Action: I think you said too much as it is. Warned for PDMA.
Please read the forum rules: http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=422889

 

[ParkCungHee]

What Bonus Feat did you choose and what do you usually spend your bonus skill point in?

*2 nerd points for whoever gets that*

 

[Desmond Hawkins]

This thread was reopened in the hope that there would be no spam. How can this thread not be deemed spam? Oh well.

Easy, play the anthropologist/sociologist/economist, and look at humans from an outside, objective perspective.

 

[thescaryworker]

Why do humans constantly feel the need to do idiotic things that make themselves feel good?

 

[Xanikk999]

Why do humans constantly feel the need to do idiotic things that make themselves feel good?

I doubt they did it to make themselves feel good. Or at least they didnt feel good about what they did.

 

[bathsheba666]

Humans instinctively try to look for patterns and order in everything, and classify everything accordingly. Thats why humans think some things matter.

Are you saying value lies in the patterns, or in the ordering?

I heard your development was reckoned by some to be due to an opposable thumb.

Is this not typical of your species? An attribute that is clearly driven by the instinct for prolonged masturbation, should be accorded instead the mystical but entirely misleading glory of tool development.

 

[Eran of Arcadia]

What Bonus Feat did you choose and what do you usually spend your bonus skill point in?

*2 nerd points for whoever gets that*

Oh yeah, I get it.

As a Paladin/Cleric, I spent the bonus feat on Cold Resistance (hence I can go outside when it is pretty cold without a jacket) and the skill point in Knowledge (Trivia), which is how I know so much useless junk.

Of course, as the link in my sig points out, I am going to hell for this. The Cold Resistance will be useless there.