tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7225373.post8125632470197640156..comments2024-02-29T03:34:23.190-05:00Comments on Who Were the Sea Peoples?: The Tyranny of Measurementgcallahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10065877215969589482noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7225373.post-36499461188667151322012-05-01T10:27:46.811-04:002012-05-01T10:27:46.811-04:00I was just reading a post by a world traveler who ...I was just reading a post by a world traveler who was saying Americans are the most unhappy people he has encountered anywhere on the planet.<br /><br />But hey, we have more stuff we can measure, so we MUST be happier!gcallahhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10065877215969589482noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7225373.post-16150309607135607632012-05-01T10:26:25.017-04:002012-05-01T10:26:25.017-04:00But that particular circumstance illustrates a gen...But that particular circumstance illustrates a general principle: by fixating on one category of thing, other things are likely to get worse, not better. And there is no reason to think this should be different when the category is "Things you can measure."gcallahhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10065877215969589482noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7225373.post-31540730544085586992012-05-01T10:24:38.945-04:002012-05-01T10:24:38.945-04:00Yes, just so, Gabe. We can stand the increasing mi...Yes, just so, Gabe. We can stand the increasing misery because, "Hey, life expectancy has gone up, and now we have two cars instead of one!"gcallahhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10065877215969589482noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7225373.post-13868146785869015162012-05-01T08:15:50.184-04:002012-05-01T08:15:50.184-04:00That is a really odd post. Am I misunderstanding, ...That is a really odd post. Am I misunderstanding, or at the end is he saying that everybody knows that EVERYTHING is getting better, so obviously entertainment must be also? This would be amusing, because for a utilitarian subjective happiness and satisfaction are extremely important (which would explain the importance of entertainment in understanding everything else). Yet subjectively we are in general miserable (or on drugs) and getting more so. The only way we can carry on is by thinking about life without technology, a life which most think wouldn't be worth living. So this must be progress.<br /><br />This is a more general statement of the problem created by monetizing EVERYTHING, thinking if it doesn't have a price tag, it has no value.Gabe Ruthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06958214257606957422noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7225373.post-62673671851704377402012-05-01T01:49:09.083-04:002012-05-01T01:49:09.083-04:00You provide one particular circumstance where I wo...You provide one particular circumstance where I would agree with you factors other than the ones I point to are probably more important.<br /><br />Okay?Ryanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18341935691462262579noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7225373.post-19104163371047844702012-05-01T01:40:41.022-04:002012-05-01T01:40:41.022-04:00Well, Ryan's thesis is about numeric measureme...Well, Ryan's thesis is about numeric measurement. If I merely perceive that, e.g., my relationship with my friend is getting better, that would hardly count.gcallahhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10065877215969589482noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7225373.post-24900290481486459312012-05-01T01:39:38.744-04:002012-05-01T01:39:38.744-04:00Not doubt, Ryan. I've showed your thesis is no...Not doubt, Ryan. I've showed your thesis is not probable, as you claim, but extremely improbable.<br /><br />However, as Bob said, I missed on the opportunity to put "Bayesian priors" in my post, at which point you would have immediately quadrupled your sophistication estimate of the post.gcallahhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10065877215969589482noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7225373.post-76209817006412548642012-05-01T01:34:13.154-04:002012-05-01T01:34:13.154-04:00Refutation by doubt. How sophisticated, Gene.
I s...Refutation by doubt. How sophisticated, Gene.<br /><br />I say "probably," you say "COUNTEREXAMPLE" and "NOT NECESSARILY."<br /><br />And I think "okay?" and wonder how hard you are trying to miss the point.Ryanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18341935691462262579noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7225373.post-47958201268650873982012-05-01T01:06:09.706-04:002012-05-01T01:06:09.706-04:00How can you know what improvement is unless you ca...How can you know what improvement is unless you can perceive change? And, if you can perceive that change, does that count as a measurement?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7225373.post-85428357210253867382012-04-30T22:15:45.311-04:002012-04-30T22:15:45.311-04:00Ah, but if you had added the phrase "Bayesian...Ah, but if you had added the phrase "Bayesian priors" to your initial description, then the green-loving people would seem sophisticated and your analogy would fall apart.Bob Murphyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04001108408649311528noreply@blogger.com