Is a more truthful society necessarily a more happy society?

[8ball]

I have met a fair number of people who have been diagnosed with aspergers, yes.

It was a joke as much as anything.

You'll be familiar with the brutal honesty, though.

 

[8ball]

Hmmm, not sure. I'm sure some of those people pride themselves on being very honest, outspoken people.

I think that's often an excuse for being mean.

Whilst I think CJohn was talking about how perception of truth varies within individual experience, it totally also varies when you consider the experiences of multiple individuals.

Yeah, I agree with some of what he was saying, that some unitary 'self' is assumed. I just think that the bulk of the dishonesty I see comes from a much less nuanced place.

 

[Agent Sparrow]

Today I met up with my mum. Now, I love my mum to bits, but at times she can irritate me. Whilst I do judge that there are times when it is appropriate to disagree with or stand up to her, and unfortunately there are other times when I'm not so great at hiding my irritation , is there really any justification for me telling her everytime she irritates me? And vice versa, is there really any justification for her telling me everytime I annoy her? How would that make our experience of each other happier?

I interpret the idea of a "completely honest society" as people being vocal about every little thing that that.

 

[CJohn]

You'll be familiar with the brutal honesty, though.

I do know what you're getting at; there's that sense individuals who have this diagnosis often don't adhere to certain implicit social rules and thus speak what is on their minds at that moment without mentalizing the listeners reception of what is said.

However, I don't think that makes anything that 'they' might happen to say at such moments any truer than what someone else might think but not vocalise. What I (or anyone) might think at any one moment isn't necessarily completely transparent. And I think the way I see subjectivity would also apply to people who might happen to have a diagnosis of aspergers (though I likely don't know enough about the syndrome to fully back that up). I suppose I see people as people first and labels as coming after that.

 

[8ball]

I interpret the idea of a "completely honest society" as people being vocal about every little thing that that.

I can see that. I just think it is maybe an oversimplified interpretation of honesty in a similar manner that an oversimplified interpretation of the idea of 'freedom' gets implicated in all manner of Hobbesian dystopia.

 

[8ball]

. . . I don't think that makes anything that 'they' might happen to say at such moments any truer than what someone else might think but not vocalise. What I (or anyone) might think at any one moment isn't necessarily completely transparent. And I think the way I see subjectivity would also apply to people who might happen to have a diagnosis of aspergers (though I likely don't know enough about the syndrome to fully back that up).

I think, on balance, I don't know enough about the way you see subjectivity to really comment. I know what my subjectivity is like, but not yours.

I suppose I see people as people first and labels as coming after that.

Possibly a cheap shot?

 

[CJohn]

Possibly a cheap shot?

Wasn't consciously intended...