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I enjoyed @primalpoly's book, Virtue Signaling.
TLDR; virtue signaling is all about finding a good mate.
If you want more info, these are some of the most important points.
THREAD
1/Virtue signaling takes two forms: cheap talk and reliable virtue signaling.
TLDR; virtue signaling is all about finding a good mate.
If you want more info, these are some of the most important points.
THREAD1/Virtue signaling takes two forms: cheap talk and reliable virtue signaling.
2/Cheap talk is exactly how it sounds.
It's comprised of easy to fake signals that might not accurately represent your underlying values.
Think bumper stickers, political t-shirts, and black square posts on Instagram.
It's comprised of easy to fake signals that might not accurately represent your underlying values.
Think bumper stickers, political t-shirts, and black square posts on Instagram.
3/Reliable virtue signaling is also how it sounds.
It's costly, long term, hard to fake signals that reliably reflect underlying values.
Think volunteering for months on a campaign, spending years as a "big brother", or forgoing a lucrative career to join the Peace Corps.
It's costly, long term, hard to fake signals that reliably reflect underlying values.
Think volunteering for months on a campaign, spending years as a "big brother", or forgoing a lucrative career to join the Peace Corps.
4/Virtue signaling, on it's own, isn't a bad thing.
Without virtue signaling, humans wouldn't be able to coordinate themselves into civilizations.
Without virtue signaling, slavery would still exist.
Without virtue signaling, humans wouldn't be able to coordinate themselves into civilizations.
Without virtue signaling, slavery would still exist.
5/What differentiates good virtue signaling from bad isn't the reliability of the signal, it's the real world effects of the actions.
You can reliably signal poor virtues: joining the KKK.
You can unreliably signal good virtues: posting a black square on Instagram.
You can reliably signal poor virtues: joining the KKK.
You can unreliably signal good virtues: posting a black square on Instagram.
6/Virtue signaling is used in sexual selection.
Courtship evolved from displays of physical prowess to displays of interesting ideas.
Courtship evolved from displays of physical prowess to displays of interesting ideas.
7/Virtue signaling manifests in political opinions because people use political orientation as proxies for personality traits.
See @JonHaidt's work: https://twitter.com/josephcwells/status/1247267491354730496
See @JonHaidt's work: https://twitter.com/josephcwells/status/1247267491354730496
8/Most animals signal through handicaps.
Only the most fit individuals are able to waste physical resources on handicaps, so it's a signal of good genes - like peacock tails and men buying diamond rings.
Only the most fit individuals are able to waste physical resources on handicaps, so it's a signal of good genes - like peacock tails and men buying diamond rings.
9/Groups that evolve to value altruistic handicaps do better than those that value wasteful signals.
Altruistic signals demonstrate value - at the expense of the individual - while benefiting the group.
Think donating a large % of your salary to a charity.
Altruistic signals demonstrate value - at the expense of the individual - while benefiting the group.
Think donating a large % of your salary to a charity.
10/Since intelligence is important for survival and social life, choosing a mate with high intelligence is important.
Language is one of the best signals of intelligence, so it's not surprising language has evolved and, with it, virtue signaling.
Language is one of the best signals of intelligence, so it's not surprising language has evolved and, with it, virtue signaling.
11/When looking for mates, people unconsciously look for good gene indicators.
Moral virtues can be good gene indicators.
For example, high levels of empathy and social intelligence would be very difficult to fake with genetic mutations associated with conditions like autism.
Moral virtues can be good gene indicators.
For example, high levels of empathy and social intelligence would be very difficult to fake with genetic mutations associated with conditions like autism.
12/A paradox exists in the corporate 'equality and diversity' culture:
a) Humans have identical minds, regardless of sex and race, so inequalities in hiring can only be due to sexism and racism.
b) Humans have such unique minds that diversity of sex and race is important.
a) Humans have identical minds, regardless of sex and race, so inequalities in hiring can only be due to sexism and racism.
b) Humans have such unique minds that diversity of sex and race is important.
13/You can have equality OR diversity, but not both.
"If minds differ enough across sexes and races to justify diversity...they must differ enough in some specific skills, interests, and motivations that hiring and promotion will sometimes produce unequal outcomes."
"If minds differ enough across sexes and races to justify diversity...they must differ enough in some specific skills, interests, and motivations that hiring and promotion will sometimes produce unequal outcomes."
14/Virtue signaling through campus speech codes is disastrous.
Censorship silences the eccentric.
The eccentric are responsible for progress.
Silence the eccentric, hamstring progress.
Censorship silences the eccentric.
The eccentric are responsible for progress.
Silence the eccentric, hamstring progress.
15/Neurodivergent people disproportionately contribute to progress.
Charles Darwin, Albert Einstein, Bertrand Russell, Nikola Tesla, and Mark Twain seem to be somewhere on the autism spectrum.
Campus speech codes would've been terrible for these people.
Charles Darwin, Albert Einstein, Bertrand Russell, Nikola Tesla, and Mark Twain seem to be somewhere on the autism spectrum.
Campus speech codes would've been terrible for these people.
16/~20% of people on campuses have psych disorders.
"For many of these mental disorders, symptom severity peaks at the ages of typical college students: universities are demanding that the neurodivergent inhibit their speech most carefully when they are least able to do so."
"For many of these mental disorders, symptom severity peaks at the ages of typical college students: universities are demanding that the neurodivergent inhibit their speech most carefully when they are least able to do so."
17/High empathy quotient scores predict higher compliance with campus speech codes.
Men, people in STEM fields, and people with Asperger's score lower on EQ tests, so they will generally struggle to interpret subjective and ambiguous speech codes.
Men, people in STEM fields, and people with Asperger's score lower on EQ tests, so they will generally struggle to interpret subjective and ambiguous speech codes.
18/"Every campus speech code and restrictive speech norm is a Sword of Damocles dangling above the head of every academic whose brain works a little differently."
19/Campus speech codes are also disastrous for foreign students.
The codes are vague and don't provide concrete examples of words, ideas, facts and views that are considered offensive.
This is hard to interpret for those unfamiliar with American culture.
The codes are vague and don't provide concrete examples of words, ideas, facts and views that are considered offensive.
This is hard to interpret for those unfamiliar with American culture.
20/"Just because foreign students don't make as much of a fuss as American social activist students doesn't mean their lives matter less. They may be suffering in silence, because they were raised not to complain."
21/This was a fascinating read on a topic that couldn't be more timely.
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