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Comment by r00k | Hacker News Reader

I loved this blog post (and the other one I read, about Battelship), so I wondered who was behind these great posts.

Their homepage says this "DataGenetics is a technology consultancy specializing in unlocking the value stored in large databases. Using a variety of techniques we can mine the trends in your data to help you maximize your marketing and advertising campaigns."

Damn.

Yet another group of smart folks focused on more-effective advertising.

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That's where the money seems to be. It's a shame, but I can't blame groups like these.

Why not? Do you think people have no responsibility for their choices other than to maximize their financial gain?

No. I don't believe that a person's intelligence level makes it appropriate for any other party to decide what she should and should not do. I also question what "responsibility" an intelligent person has in their career choices. Responsibility to whom? Society? Should they be out curing cancer instead? I cannot accept the notion that people in the aforementioned position have a responsibility to anybody but themselves and their families.

I never said anything about intelligence level or other parties deciding what people should do.

Are you able to consider the idea that someone's responsibility to themselves and their families might lead them to make decisions other than maximizing financial gain?

Also - I'm curious as to why you think family members are a special case?

I think you may be reading my previous comment without considering its context in the thread. I was initially writing in response to the observation that this was "Yet another group of smart folks focused on more-effective advertising." It wasn't clear to me that you and I pivoted from this.

Of course I'm able to consider the idea, rbarooah. What I reject is the notion that we can project our own values on a person and then blame him for not fulfilling them (thus my original comment).

I do recall the context.

What were you trying to convey with the phrase "It's a shame?" Was that not your judgement of their choice?

Also, how do you propose to prevent other people from blaming one another for things?

You didn't answer my question about why family members are exempt from your general view - which I am genuinely curious about.

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