Have the courage to change what you can, the strength to accept what you cannot, and the wisdom to know the difference.
I found it striking to get two comments on very different subjects recently with the same implication that I am doing a poor job at communicating my viewpoint. Specifically, that my arguing for what is can be seen as arguing against what can be, and that my cynicism about the entrenchment of the status quo can be seen as defeatism about reform.

kirinn responded to this post with:

I think a lot of the resistance to these posts comes from people who see many EvBio/EvPsych arguments going in the direction of "well, evolution made us this way, so it must be alright then" and having that applied to aspect of human behavior that they find abhorrent.

For example, while I believe in evolution, and believe it has plenty of profound effects on human behavior in the aggregate, I also believe (near religiously, which is saying something for me) in the power of individuals to use their higher brain functions to overcome many, if not all, of the pressures of evolution. I think to believe otherwise would be unbearably depressing. Given some of your other comments and the time I've spent with you, I'm pretty sure we largely agree on this stance, but it's often far from clear in the top level of your favorite button-pushing posts.

And reinaness responded to a comment of mine on zuleikhajami about how both Presidential tickets are fully occupied by hypocrites and liars with:

why are you trying to dissuade those of us who want to stay here and fight for our country? What do you get out of it? As long as we still live here, isn't it worth it? You can have your opinion, but really who does it serve to tell people it doesn't matter? If it matters to us that is enough. Sure there is alot of bullshit, sure there is corruption. Your solution of leaving and creating new utopias is great, but anywhere there are people there is lying and corruption. All we can do is hold them accountable the best we can. Leaving this country to the "extremely concerned" minority on either fringe is not the way to benefit anyone. You can tell me I am wasting my time, but I am sure people have told you that, too. I support you right to try and create your utopia, please just let me try to create mine here now in America or at least inch my way towards it.

In both cases, I am addressing the "wisdom" part of the intro quotation. I view it as almost axiomatic that the better we understand how the world is, the more likely we are to be able to change it, and the more effectively we can direct our efforts. It bothers me when people deny what I see as reality, even if I detest that reality, because I think the denial makes it much less likely that they will change it. It bothers me when people try to do good things in ways that I think are ineffective, because I think "How sad that this energy and passion for making the world a better place is being wasted."

Some might think "well, at least they are trying", but that is not my viewpoint. My concern is that a) they will burn themselves out and give up on reform totally, b) they would be happier if they directed the same energy towards improving their lives instead of the world, c) if they get used to directing reformist energy in ineffective ways, such that it becomes a habit, they are satisfying their desire for reform while not actually changing anything, and that removes from the world the very people it most needs to grow and change.

With respect to political activism, there are many forms and many methods, and a few them are even effective. The Nonviolent Offender Rehabilitation act, a CA referendum coming up for vote, will (if passed) make the world a much better place. Those who helped make it happen were effective in their activism. But it is my belief, based on my understanding of politics and democracy, that most activism changes little or nothing. That most problems are functions of the system and its incentives, not those who happen to be in office. Break one scandal, and it will just get replaced by another. Publicize a terrible law (telecom immunity), and it will probably pass anyway.

As humans, we tend to anthropomorphize, and we are tribal creatures, so we naturally blame problems on people from other tribes, but I think that is rarely the case, and hence that voting on candidates is rarely useful or effective. I believe it functions mainly as an escape valve, a way for people to feel like they have done something when they haven't. Voting is for suckers. And I hate that, not because I like the status quo or am against change, but because I desperately want enormous change and I hate to see people's energy uselessly sapped.

With respect to evolutionary biology & psychology, I'm a transhumanist, very dedicated to the cause of overcoming our evolved mind and restructuring it to serve the goals of our consciousness instead of our genes. But I firmly believe that in this case, as in every other case where someone wants to change the world, that it is crucial to have an unflinching, clear, honest perception of how things are, in order to act to change them.

Thoreau said "There are a thousand hacking at the branches of evil to one who is striking at the root". For many reasons, I believe that the vast majority of democratic reform is hacking at the leaves and branches of evil. If all that energy was instead directed at major systemic changes, (like seasteading, states rights, or prediction markets about the effects of legislation), I think we would be able to make radical and positive changes to our government. If all the effort devoted to denying the importance of human Nature were devoted to learning how to overcome it, to reforming our schools to teach people to overcome their bad genetic habits (exaggerated stereotyping, false sexism, carb cravings, obsession with past/future...), I think we would be able to make radical and positive changes to the consciousness level of humanity.

Yes, I have strong opinions about the status quo in areas like politics and biology. And those give me strong opinions about the pointlessness of many suggested/attempted reforms. But it's not because I want people to give up on changing the world. I just want them to have the wisdom to know the difference - including when there is nothing to be done about something awful except to accept it, and focus on your own life. When in doubt, focus on getting rich - because money is and always will be a crucial tool for changing the world.