Imitatio – At the West End Gallery
“… Mr. Bankman-Fried said: “I’m very skeptical of books. I don’t want to say no book is ever worth reading, but I actually do believe something pretty close to that.” He didn’t like movies, either.
It’s impossible to read the sad saga of Mr. Bankman-Fried without thinking he, and many of those around him, would have been better off if they had spent less time at math camp and more time in English class. Sometimes in books, the characters find their moral compass; in the best books, the reader does, too.”
–David Streitfeld, NY Times, Sam Bankman-Fried’s Wild Rise and Abrupt Crash, Nov. 3, 2023
I had several questions come up yesterday that I thought deserved a couple of minutes this morning. A little Monday morning cleanup, if you will.
The first came from an article in the NY Times that gave an outline of the crash of crypto-criminal Sam Bankman-Fried. It was the paragraphs above that caught my eye and gave rise to a question. The writer of the article, David Streitfeld, noted Bankman-Fried’s skepticism of books and that perhaps a better grounding in literature might have established a higher level for his moral compass.
My first question was about Bankman-Fried’s use of the word skepticism. Does he simply not believe in the passing down biographies and stories and such things? Is he just not a fan of the written word?
It irked me enough to grab those paragraphs from the article. I certainly agreed that Bankman-Fried would have benefitted from more time with literature than with the video games that occupied much of his time. I established whatever my moral compass is now and learned many of the lessons of the world that I carry with me from my reading as a child and young adult. Without it, I would be a much different person.
But this article also made me wonder about one’s moral compass.
What is the driving force or objective behind any one person’s moral compass?
It seems that many people’s moral compasses today are driven by self-interest, whatever it takes to get what they want. It’s a very Machiavellian example with the ends justifying the means. I guess you could lump this in with money and power as the drivers of this moral compass.
Others are driven by expedience, in not taking a stance on anything of principle unless it is absolutely necessary. Keep your head down and try to simply ignore the greater outer world.
Some are driven by altruism, wanting to help others. Others by a love of family and friends. Others by a sense of justice. I am sure you or I can come up with a lot more if we take the time.
The question is: What drives your moral compass?
I would imagine that we all have some of each of those above at some given time and circumstance. Maybe that’s the healthy thing here, to have a moral compass with many diverse parts that serve the whole without one becoming too dominant.
For example, we need to have a bit that is self-serving in order to survive and an expedient bit that blocks out some of the things in this world that we cannot control. But we also need a bit of altruism so that we might care for and help others even though they might be unknown to us if only to make the world a bit better. And we need a moral compass based on family and friends so that we can serve as loyal caretakers for those relationships.
One final bit of cleanup, in reference to yesterday’s post, where I wrote about how people would resist a safe remedy for hatred because they have come to view their hatred as a treasured part of their being. It made me think about how those with great belief often have an equal amount of disbelief. The certainty with which they hold to each of these polar opposites leaves little room for any uncertainty or questioning. There is little gray area in which to explore or find new ground. Little nuance, dealing only in absolute terms.
It made me ask myself: What is greater, my sense of belief or disbelief?
I don’t know that there is a right answer. Maybe it varies based on whatever it applies to. Or maybe it can be equal so long as one’s belief/disbelief is based in evidence and facts. Not a belief/disbelief based on only what and how one wants things to be or a blind certainty devoid of facts and evidence.
Of course, I am just spouting now. Turning the clocks back this weekend has me up even earlier than normal and my mind is racing when it might be sleeping.
And this is what you get. Not much of a cleanup. Actually, it might be even more of a mess.
So sorry.
Ah, what else to do on an early Monday morning?
Redtree Times 