Benjamin Davies

Is “the refusal to ignore certain criticisms” not a case of treating ideas justly?

I’m having trouble with the idea that honesty is a prerequisite of rationality. This seems to imply honesty somehow comes before rationality.

I think it is more accurate to say rationality and honesty are interdependent, and from there you can deduce that rationality depends on honesty (in a way that maybe it doesn’t depend on justice).

I’ve asked Gemini to explain it:

1. Auto-Closure (Insertion State)

When the user inputs an opening delimiter, the system immediately injects the corresponding closing delimiter and places the caret (cursor) between them.

Input: (

Buffer State: (|)

Logic: insert(openingchar) + insert(closingchar) + move_caret(-1)

2. Type-Through (Escape State)

If the caret is positioned immediately before a closing delimiter that was autopaired, and the user types that specific closing delimiter, the system suppresses the character insertion and instead advances the caret.

Context: [text|]

Input: ]

Buffer State: [text]| (Not [text]])

Logic: if (nextchar == inputchar) { movecaret(+1); preventdefault(); }

3. Atomic Deletion (Regression State)

If the caret is between an empty pair of delimiters, a backspace event deletes both the opening and closing characters simultaneously, returning the buffer to the pre-insertion state.

Context: (|)

Input: Backspace

Buffer State: |

Logic: if (prevchar == open && nextchar == close) { delete_range(caret-1, caret+1); }

4. Selection Wrapping (Transformation State)

If a text range is selected (highlighted) and an opening delimiter is typed, the system wraps the selection rather than replacing it.

Context: |selected_text|

Input: [[

Buffer State: [[selected_text]]

Logic: surroundselection(inputpair)

5. Markdown-Specific Heuristics

Obsidian applies context-aware logic for Markdown syntax (e.g., * or _). It often checks word boundaries to determine if the user intends to bold/italicize or use a bullet point.

Context (Start of line): | + * + Space -> Bullet list (autopair disabled/consumed by formatting).

Context (Middle of line): word | + * -> word | (autopair enabled for italics).

Mendoza City, roughly 60–80 minutes away, has decent private hospitals (Hospital Español, Hospital Italiano). For Level 1 massive trauma, you might need a medical evacuation flight to Santiago (Chile) or Buenos Aires.

Uco Valley is a high-trust agrarian bubble; violent crime is low, and neighbors look out for each other. Mendoza City (1 hour away) has standard Latin American urban crime risks (theft, robbery). You must maintain "situational awareness" when leaving your estancia.

Corruption has historically been endemic, but the current administration is aggressively purging regulatory capture. However, legal enforcement can still be slow, and the judiciary is not fully independent of political winds.

The cultural and legal trend is rapidly moving away from "hate speech" regulation and towards US-style First Amendment interpretations.

Milei's administration has authorized semi-automatic rifles for civilians again (reversing a ban) and streamlined the "Legitimate User" (CLU) process.

Argentina is not a tax haven. Becoming a tax resident (living >12 months) triggers a Global Income Tax (Progressive up to 35%), and a Personal Assets Tax (Wealth Tax) on worldwide assets.

Argentina has mandatory schooling laws, but the constitution guarantees the "right to teach." There is no specific law explicitly banning homeschooling, nor one regulating it. It exists in a "tolerance" void. Milei's "Omnibus Law" proposed explicit legalisation, but the situation remains administratively "don't ask, don't tell."

Possible arsenic and other contaminants in water.

~900m – 1,700m altitude.

Mendoza sits in a "rain shadow" and receives ~300+ days of sun annually.

A place to live: Mendoza, Argentina

Prescott Valley consistently ranks as one of the safest regions in the Southwest. It retains a "small town" conservative culture where community policing is effective and property crime is low compared to national averages.

Arizona is the world leader in educational freedom. The "Empowerment Scholarship Account" (ESA) system not only allows unschooling/homeschooling with minimal regulation but provides state funding (~$7,000/year) to parents to pay for it.

Summer highs hover around 30°C, winters are cool but sunny.

Arizona is a premier beef producer. Raw milk is legal for retail sale (with state license) and herd shares are expressly permitted by statute. Proximity to Mexico (Nogales port) ensures a steady flow of tropical fruits (papaya, mango) alongside California produce.

~1,630m altitude.

277 sunny days per year.

~20 minutes from Reno-Tahoe International Airport and Renown Regional Medical Center (Trauma Level 2).

High Trust Enclave. Galena Forest is a wealthy, low-density residential zone. Violent crime is statistically negligible. It operates as a de facto "gated community" due to its geography and demographics.