Skip to content

Comment on Happiness Button (A Parable)

Comments

Interesting.

I would imagine the right to pressing button or having your button pressed will be institutionalized,e.g. through a Church or Government. Doing that freely and often - before some sort of permission, license or ceremony - would be stigmatized and possibly outlawed.

I could see that happening, particularly because -- as Scott points out -- when you are sitting around being happy, you aren't doing anything particularly productive. Cultures with a particular set of rules regarding button-pushing would be naturally more materially wealthy than those without, although not necessarily as happy.

AboutSource Built by g1lg1l

Hackerly is an independent reader for Hacker News, built on the public HN API. Not affiliated with Y Combinator.