Philosophy Now Forum

How would an incel train himself ? Dale Carnegie wrote a book about how to win friends and influence people. Someone like him could write a book about how to find out what is the gap in a woman´s life and how to fill it. If an honest pimp can figure out how to humour and win a lady´s favour why shou...

A loner can arouse suspicion or even fear, other people can worry that a loner is weird or unhinged and thus dangerous. In the old days lonely women were suspected of witchcraft. In "Wuthering Heights" young Mrs Heathcliff positively tries to threaten her family by saying that she studies ...

Yes, but it takes a lot of patience to listen to bores and to suffer fools gladly. It takes a saint. Some talkers are manipulative too, so it becomes an ugly battle of nerves. One needs to decide whether to oppose the manipulation by naming it. You make a good case for cultivating spiritual equanim...

This is a nice theory, Walker, but if it were so simple, all incels would book a coaching seminar with a specialist like the pimp in your example and their troubles would be gone by magic. Any frog would become a prince charming. There are probably flirtation seminars and things like that on the in...

Sometimes it is really hard to "like" the person one is listening to. And this is necessary to create a positive atmosphere of exchange. It is not possible to force oneself to like someone. And to fake liking someone is dishonest. That´s why it is easier to listen to people we don´t know b...

I think it implies that we offer some sort of feedback. An honest one preferably. But some people may prefer to be humoured. Absolutely. In addition to intelligent feedback a good listener requires presence when listening. To have presence is to be completely there in that moment, body and mind, to...

This is a nice theory, Walker, but if it were so simple, all incels would book a coaching seminar with a specialist like the pimp in your example and their troubles would be gone by magic. Any frog would become a prince charming. There are probably flirtation seminars and things like that on the int...

Mr Promethean and Mr Walker Salutations may soon be on the woke chopping block. I figure folks in such dire straits to call a hotline want to be heard more than advised, and they want to be heard by a human and not a machine. Sometimes an intelligent dog will suffice. Advice might seem offensive to...

On the one hand our relationships with other people can better, yes, but also maybe worse too, because we lack experience and cannot as easily see through manipulative people.

Being a loner sounds o.k. but even loners or hermits need someone to talk to. Monks have other monks to talk to in the refectorium. Silent conversation by body language is an option too. Holy men and women can talk to God in prayer. Only religious people can do it properly. For the rest of us who ar...

People who call a helpline don´t have a caring friend.

A robot or AI could be less embarrassing to meet and to communicate with. So the caller would be more relaxed.

Mr Promethean and Mr Walker Let me give you an example to explain what I mean: A hardened and embittered incel calls and spills his anger and his views that it is unfair that attractive women don´t fall in love with him although he perfectly deserves it. (I read a novel about someone like it who mur...

AI would be also a perfect match-maker for all those who need to find someone to talk to. It could analyze voice samples and information about predilections, expectations and - most importantly - what gets on someone´s nerves and is unbearable. Our friends and family are not always the perfect peopl...

AI would be better at listening to a caller who needs to talk:

1. It does not get impatient or drained.
2. It has the best possible answers and reactions.
3. The caller does not have to feel embarassed or ashamed.

People who call such helplines probably often lack social skills and it is not possible to really help them because it takes time to learn social skills. Some people suffer from delusions and need someone to listen to these delusions without judging them. A listener can fortify these delusions by no...