According to LessWrong's Fernand0, narcissism—in Christopher Lasch's sense—isn't vanity; it's the refusal to accept life's fundamental limits. The narcissist wants X and all its alternatives simultaneously, a fantasy that dissolves into inaction. Reframing this through 'shards' (partial preference systems), Fernand0 proposes that narcissism isn't a personality type but a property of individual desires, especially those that paralyze us through infinite wanting.

Listen to this story

Hear this and more stories in a personalized audio briefing.

Open The Chonkerton