Altruism, Adversarialism and Women: 04
If you have ever studied the boot sequence of your PC, you would be aware of two types of internal checks during bootup. Most of you are probably familiar with the first one, as windows (but not linux) often hides the second check.
Hardware Check: CMOS Checksum
Software Check: System Configuration Files
In some ways, the CMOS Checksum is analogous to human consciousness and the System Configuration Files are analogous to Personality. You must also be familiar with the concept of “factory settings”, a state where the System Configuration Files carry only the most basic information and default settings.
Now let us apply this to human beings. Let us say that we are born with “factory settings”, which are not the same for everyone but within a fairly narrow range. This is why we can learn the language and fit in the culture etc we are born in. The OS (our mind) keeps on updating the System Configuration Files, depending on what works and what does not. This is facilitated by society and its ways (network). We install new applications (abilities) as soon as we learn them and have the drivers (skills) to use them.
Given that most babies do not do a lot more than cry, laugh, suck and excrete, the system configuration files of babies might not be that different from each other. They may have different distributions of the OS, but the OS has not yet been fully loaded. The default settings in babies are cute sociopathy, not overt.. just enough to make sure they are cared for.
Now imagine that one group (boys) is exposed to conditions whereby they are encouraged to be less sociopathic, but the other group (girls) are given multiple passes for such behavior. How do you think the final OSes for both will look and behave? Even if the hardware is the same, many routines will never be used by one group.
It is quite likely that the ‘girl OS’ will infact become more sociopathic as the OS rewrites and modifies the original system configuration files towards a more optimal setting. Such sociopathy might not manifest itself in a manner similar to that in the ‘boy OS’ because of missing drivers and applications.
The only check on creating infinitely sociopathic system configuration files were physical and technological constraints such as lack of effective birth control and lack of domestic appliances etc. Those constraints are now gone and it is now possible for a ‘girl OS’ be infinitely sociopathic, as opposed to just old fashioned girl sociopathy.
What do you think? The next part is now up: Altruism, Adversarialism and Women: 05
Interesting series. Very similar to Franco’s “Practical Female Psychology” (which i believe is REQUIRED reading for every man in this “sphere”) Here’s a quote from early on in the book:
“It is never appropriate for a man to expect altruism from a woman, only to appreciate a woman’s altruism when she provides it.”
I don’t think there is anything inherently wrong with a woman’s nature. As soon as you learn to ride the waves the easier life becomes.