PEOPLE DON’T WANT TO PAY THE COST OF TRUTH – BECAUSE WE HAVE DIFFERENT ABILITIES

PEOPLE DON’T WANT TO PAY THE COST OF TRUTH – BECAUSE WE HAVE DIFFERENT ABILITIES – AND INCREASES IN TRUTH ARE INCREASINGLY EXPENSIVE

*Want > Justification > Critical Rationalism > Testimonialism*

I have found that outside of people with university training in the physical sciences, that converting people from justificationism (particularly moral) to critical rationalism, is almost impossible.

Yet I understand completely why: CR is a far more ‘expensive’ cognitive strategy – it’s almost a ‘privilege of those with ability’.

The purpose of knowledge is action. And we all differ in the actions that we need to want to make, prefer to make, and joyously make.

So the fact that we want, prefer, and take joy from, the action of seeking increasingly challenging methods of decision making, is in itself a privilege of ability, education, and rank.

Now, try to take a Critical Rationalist and convert him to a Testimonialist, and you’ll encounter the same problem.

Why? Because just as the cost of Critical Rationalist knowledge imposes a cost on the fulfillment of satisfaction by those seeking ends by justificationary means, the cost of Testimonialist Knowledge imposes a cost on the fulfillment of satisfaction by those seeking ends by Critical Rationalist means.

Because the Critical Rationalist wants to preserve his discounts on the consequences of his speech, just like the justificationist wants to preserve the discounts on the consequences of his actions.

METHODS OF MORAL DECIDABILITY

To Act: Justificationism (disputes over actions)

To Know: Critical Rationalism (disputes over persuasion)

To Judge: Testimonialism (disputes over consequences)

JUSTIFICATIONISM

Justification isn’t true either logically or empirically – it’s a selection bias for action within normative limits.

CRITICAL RATIONALISM

Critical Preference isn’t empirically true – it’s a selection bias.

Critical Rationalism isn’t complete – it’s a selection bias for action within cost-less (scientific) limits.

TESTIMONIALISM

Testimonialism is, as far as I know, empirically true, and informationally complete. It’s a selection bias for action within the scope of what is actionable by man.

Curt Doolittle

The Propertarian Institute

Kiev Ukraine