Whereas the fundamental problem with nerds is that they’re constantly overthinking everything, . . .

This holiday season, as my present to all my nerd readers, I’ve decided to start an occasional series entitled Nerd Self-Help.

Today’s installment: What should you do when you find yourself asking whether you have any “right to exist”?

(If you read the source of that quote, you will not miss anything if you stop reading at, “Pondering the problem this morning, I hit upon a solution”.)

I found that funny and poignant.

I am a nerd, and I do not think I have an intrinsic (unconditional) right to exist — or any other intrinsic rights for that matter.

However, since I do not think anyone else has any intrinsic rights either, I would prefer not to be at a competitive disadvantage relative to other people.

I have however found myself in a situation in which I probably was at a significant competitive disadvantage because my opponent had no doubt that he had intrinsic rights whereas I did not.
I expect to encounter similar situations in the future and for me to get better at avoiding them or competing successfully while I retain my unusual belief that I have no intrinsic rights.

I expect these situations to occur mostly where my life most resembles the EEA. The parts of my life that differs most sharply from the EEA are the parts that happens over the internet and the parts where science and technology are used to achieve global rather than personal ends.

Moreover I expect these situations where I am at a competitive disadvantage to occur mostly against people who I did not directly choose to let into my life and where the cost of my getting them out of my life are high relative to the potential benefits of the relationship. Specifically, I expect these situations to occur mostly against neighbors and coworkers.