Hacker News Reader

Honest question. If you remove religious and spiritual aspects and come at it from a place of pure reason, does it really matter?

What is pain but a chemical signal something is wrong?

View on HN

I don’t think wanting to avoid inflicting pain on others is religious/spiritual

Is it merely preferential, then?

It’s a preference that’s somewhat hardcoded in our brain, kind of like preferring to seek friendships, achieve goals, etc.

In that case, I don't think there's any reason to believe that it's objectively good. Some preferences are met, some are not, but there isn't any requirement that they are either way. In that sense, I suppose it is indeed all meaningless chemical signaling.

(for what it's worth, I do not accept this view as truth, in part because if it is "true" there isn't any real sense of truth for it to be of significance)

I’m not sure I’m understanding.

You’re saying it’s fine if someone punches you in the face?

I suspect they're saying there is no such thing as "fine" except in the eye of the receiver of the chemical signals. Seems like a strong stance for something lacking any foundation.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com