I don’t claim that this post in particular challenges the consensus
That would be the bit where you said “This is the first in a planned series of posts challenging a central tenet of the LessWrong consensus”. When you say that you’re challenging the consensus, it appears to the reader as though you’re challenging the consensus.
I agree with David_Gerard: when I say I’m doing something, it appears to the reader as though I’m doing that thing.
I would also agree with various more-strongly-worded equivalents, such as “when I say I’m doing X in a series of acts that includes Y, it’s disingenuous to later claim that Y wasn’t intended to do X.”
Hence, understatement. That is, an expression worded less strongly than, in my opinion, the situation justifies.
Is “challenge the consensus” a performative utterance? By saying “I challenge the consensus regarding foo”, do you thereby challenge the consensus regarding foo?
Consider: If I said, “I challenge the Less Wrong consensus that 2 + 2 = 5. I assert that it’s 4,” by saying this I wouldn’t actually challenge a consensus that 2 + 2 = 5, because there isn’t one to challenge. Rather, all I would be doing is setting up a straw man: falsely asserting the existence of a consensus, and then disagreeing with that imagined consensus.
That would be the bit where you said “This is the first in a planned series of posts challenging a central tenet of the LessWrong consensus”. When you say that you’re challenging the consensus, it appears to the reader as though you’re challenging the consensus.
Hence my parenthetical concession in the grandparent. But you’re right, I should edit the post itself. Doing that right now.
I hereby nominate this for the 2012 Understatement Award.
How was it an understatement?
I acknowledge that it feels like one when you read it, but defining that way lies madness! Just ask the words “ironic” and “literally”.
I agree with David_Gerard: when I say I’m doing something, it appears to the reader as though I’m doing that thing.
I would also agree with various more-strongly-worded equivalents, such as “when I say I’m doing X in a series of acts that includes Y, it’s disingenuous to later claim that Y wasn’t intended to do X.”
Hence, understatement. That is, an expression worded less strongly than, in my opinion, the situation justifies.
Is “challenge the consensus” a performative utterance? By saying “I challenge the consensus regarding foo”, do you thereby challenge the consensus regarding foo?
Consider: If I said, “I challenge the Less Wrong consensus that 2 + 2 = 5. I assert that it’s 4,” by saying this I wouldn’t actually challenge a consensus that 2 + 2 = 5, because there isn’t one to challenge. Rather, all I would be doing is setting up a straw man: falsely asserting the existence of a consensus, and then disagreeing with that imagined consensus.