Incels, Evo Psych, and Modern Literature with ARX-Han - Manifold Episode 83
Steve speaks with ARX-Han, an anonymous writer, about his book "Incel."
Buy Incel at Amazon.
(00:00) - Introduction
(02:09) - Discussing the Novel 'Incel'
(06:08) - Character Analysis and Literary Influences
(13:32) - Themes of Evolutionary Psychology and Nihilism
(18:38) - Historical Context and Modern Inceldom
(26:18) - Impact of Dating Apps on Modern Relationships
(32:47) - Representation and Character Dynamics
(40:21) - Literary Comparisons and Philosophical Depth
(45:38) - Philosophical Underpinnings of Meaning
(48:14) - The Hard Problem of Consciousness
(50:38) - Free Will and Determinism
(52:53) - Darwinian Nihilism and Nick Land
(58:17) - Historical Perspectives on East Asian Civilization
(01:03:11) - The State of Literary Fiction
(01:16:45) - AI and Literature
(01:19:44) - AI and Human Meaning
I avoided listening to this interview—after all, what could be interesting about hearing from an incel? Now, I’m impressed. It’s a deep interview with insightful observations and points from both sides. Loved it.
I’m looking forward to reading Nick Land’s Half-Baked and other articles in a nice book I found, thank you! Based on the interview, here are my three cents on a slight pushback, again, loved the interview:
1) The obsession with suffering and pleasure—yes, Leibniz was parodied by a contemporary that, “We live in the best possible world where everything is a necessary evil.” This is where Effective Altruism (EA) stumbles: the abstract notion of suffering and its minimization. Evolution, by definition, involves death and suffering, which drive adaptation. If EA seeks to eliminate or minimize suffering, displeasure, etc., the only outcome would be devolution. And suffering is just the neural process to force us to do (or avoid) the whole range of things. As long as it serves purpose, all that evolution requires. It is our "moral error" (and fear of pain) that blinds us on this point. As expected from primates we are.
2) Steve, thank you for straightening out Anon on self-consciousness. There is no hard problem of self-consciousness; the hard problem is the confusion surrounding it.
Thanks so much, Steve! Amazing talk. Can't wait to start the book.