It’s simpler than that: 1) Eliezer expresses certainty more often than Robin, and 2) he self-discloses to a greater degree. The combination of the two induces tendency to identification and aspiration. (The evolutionary reasons for this are left as an exercise for the reader.)
Please note that this isn’t a denigration—I do exactly the same things in my own writing, and I also identify with and admire Eliezer. Just knowing what causes it doesn’t make the effect go away.
(To a certain extent, it’s just audience-selection—expressing your opinions and personality clearly will make people who agree/like what they hear become followers, those who disagree/dislike become trolls, and those who don’t care one way or the other just go away altogether. NOT expressing these things clearly, on the other hand, produces less emotion either way. I love the information I get from Robin’s posts, but they don’t cause me to feel the same degree of personal connection to their author.)
It’s simpler than that: 1) Eliezer expresses certainty more often than Robin, and 2) he self-discloses to a greater degree. The combination of the two induces tendency to identification and aspiration. (The evolutionary reasons for this are left as an exercise for the reader.)
Please note that this isn’t a denigration—I do exactly the same things in my own writing, and I also identify with and admire Eliezer. Just knowing what causes it doesn’t make the effect go away.
(To a certain extent, it’s just audience-selection—expressing your opinions and personality clearly will make people who agree/like what they hear become followers, those who disagree/dislike become trolls, and those who don’t care one way or the other just go away altogether. NOT expressing these things clearly, on the other hand, produces less emotion either way. I love the information I get from Robin’s posts, but they don’t cause me to feel the same degree of personal connection to their author.)