Being an idiot is less about positions and more about how one argues. The easiest way to identify an idiot is when debating gets someone angry to the point of violence. Beyond that, idiots can be identified by the use of fallacies, ad hominems, non-sequiturs, etc.
This rule fails for RationalWiki in particular, so I don’t think it’s sufficiently expressive. RationalWiki will never get violent, they’ll never use basic rhetorical fallacies, but are they not idiots?
I think a better rule for idiocy is the inability to update. An idiot will never change their mind, and will never learn. More intelligent idiots can change their mind about minor things related to things they already deeply believe, but never try to understand anything that’s a level or two of inference away from their existing core.
Nonidiocy requires the intelligence to think correctly, the wisdom to know when you’re wrong, and the charisma to tolerate the social failing of being wrong. It takes all three to avoid being an idiot.
This rule fails for RationalWiki in particular, so I don’t think it’s sufficiently expressive. RationalWiki will never get violent, they’ll never use basic rhetorical fallacies, but are they not idiots?
They won’t threaten physical violence, but when discussing certain political topics (libertarianism, social justice and feminism) they do use basic rhetorical fallacies in addition to generally abusive behaviour even from the admins (trolling, name calling and swinging the banhammer). Surprisingly, when discussing other topics, such as science, pseudosciences and paranormal beliefs, they look like perfectly sane and rational folks. (I’ve never engaged them, my experience comes form browsing the wiki and lurking a little bit on the 4ch-...Facebook group)
I think they aren’t idiots but just political fanatics.
Well, if Rossi’s free energy generators worked and were replacing power stations or gasoline in cars or the like, we all would change our mind about Rossi. I guess that means we’re probably idiots, because that’s highly unlikely.
Cranks constantly demand that we change our minds in response to Andrea Rossi plain as day rigging up another experiment, Randel L Mills releasing some incoherent formula salad, Chris Langan taking an IQ test, or the like.
Being an idiot is less about positions and more about how one argues. The easiest way to identify an idiot is when debating gets someone angry to the point of violence. Beyond that, idiots can be identified by the use of fallacies, ad hominems, non-sequiturs, etc.
This rule fails for RationalWiki in particular, so I don’t think it’s sufficiently expressive. RationalWiki will never get violent, they’ll never use basic rhetorical fallacies, but are they not idiots?
I think a better rule for idiocy is the inability to update. An idiot will never change their mind, and will never learn. More intelligent idiots can change their mind about minor things related to things they already deeply believe, but never try to understand anything that’s a level or two of inference away from their existing core.
Nonidiocy requires the intelligence to think correctly, the wisdom to know when you’re wrong, and the charisma to tolerate the social failing of being wrong. It takes all three to avoid being an idiot.
They won’t threaten physical violence, but when discussing certain political topics (libertarianism, social justice and feminism) they do use basic rhetorical fallacies in addition to generally abusive behaviour even from the admins (trolling, name calling and swinging the banhammer).
Surprisingly, when discussing other topics, such as science, pseudosciences and paranormal beliefs, they look like perfectly sane and rational folks.
(I’ve never engaged them, my experience comes form browsing the wiki and lurking a little bit on the 4ch-...Facebook group)
I think they aren’t idiots but just political fanatics.
Well, if Rossi’s free energy generators worked and were replacing power stations or gasoline in cars or the like, we all would change our mind about Rossi. I guess that means we’re probably idiots, because that’s highly unlikely.
Cranks constantly demand that we change our minds in response to Andrea Rossi plain as day rigging up another experiment, Randel L Mills releasing some incoherent formula salad, Chris Langan taking an IQ test, or the like.