Hacker News Reader

"What does it mean to be a good human being" is more general, so a probably a little less easy to answer. With "How to be a good man" you can cater to a smaller group. Women and men have different needs.

View on HN

Something being more or less generalised doesnt necessarily mean more or less easy to answer. In this instance, its much easier to give axioms to being a good person than it is to being a good man. Especially in this day and age where the very notion of being a man (or woman) is being brought into question.

> Especially in this day and age where the very notion of being a man (or woman) is being brought into question.

Some problems are specific to men or women exactly because our society has different expectations for men and women, so general advice good for one gender is not always good for the other. Example:

Q: How to be more appealing to the other sex?

A: Wear some light makeup and a nice dress.

That question and answer both hurt my brain. What to do to be more appealing depends more on the individual person you are trying to appeal to than on what gender they are. Individuals are not fungible.

It seems to be less about the needs of each gender and more about the social expectations for each gender. I take the question as "what should a good man be doing", not "what does one need to be a good man".

Reply on news.ycombinator.com