I thought about it further, and decided that I would have moral qualms about it. First, you are insincerely up-voting someone, and they are using this as peer information about their rationality. Second, you are encouraging a person C to down-vote them (person B) if they think person B’s comment should just be at 0. But then when you down-vote B, their karma goes to −2, which person C did not intend to do with his vote.
So I think this policy is just adding noise to the system, which is not consistent with the LW norm of wanting a high signal to noise ratio.
They are using this as peer information about their rationality: People are crazy, the world is mad. Besides, who really considers the average karma voter their peer?
Encouraging a person C to down-vote them: Also, person D who only upvotes because they see someone else already upvoted, so they know they won’t upvote alone.
It isn’t crazy or mad to consider people who vote on your comments as on average equal to you in rationality. Quite the opposite: if each of us assumes that we are more rational than those who vote, this will be like everyone thinking that he is above average in driving ability or whatever.
And in fact, many people do use this information: numerous times someone has said something like, “Since my position is against community consensus I think I will have to modify it,” or something along these lines.
And in fact, many people do use this information: numerous times someone has said something like, “Since my position is against community consensus I think I will have to modify it,” or something along these lines.
Well, certainly not in those terms, but I’ve seen things along the lines of “EDIT: Am I missing something?” on comments that get downvoted (from a user who isn’t used to being downvoted, generally). Those can have a positive effect.
I thought about it further, and decided that I would have moral qualms about it. First, you are insincerely up-voting someone, and they are using this as peer information about their rationality. Second, you are encouraging a person C to down-vote them (person B) if they think person B’s comment should just be at 0. But then when you down-vote B, their karma goes to −2, which person C did not intend to do with his vote.
So I think this policy is just adding noise to the system, which is not consistent with the LW norm of wanting a high signal to noise ratio.
I am insincerely up-voting someone: True.
They are using this as peer information about their rationality: People are crazy, the world is mad. Besides, who really considers the average karma voter their peer?
Encouraging a person C to down-vote them: Also, person D who only upvotes because they see someone else already upvoted, so they know they won’t upvote alone.
It isn’t crazy or mad to consider people who vote on your comments as on average equal to you in rationality. Quite the opposite: if each of us assumes that we are more rational than those who vote, this will be like everyone thinking that he is above average in driving ability or whatever.
And in fact, many people do use this information: numerous times someone has said something like, “Since my position is against community consensus I think I will have to modify it,” or something along these lines.
Well, certainly not in those terms, but I’ve seen things along the lines of “EDIT: Am I missing something?” on comments that get downvoted (from a user who isn’t used to being downvoted, generally). Those can have a positive effect.