It looks to me that you tried to answer a question that is really complex and subjective. Of course you don’t have a simple equation where you could just put numbers and say “well, if the result x is positive, it means my rationality has increased; if it is zero, it stayed the same; and if it is negative, it has actually decreased”. Instead you looked into your mind and noticed a few patterns that frequently appear in situations where you believe you have become more rational. And then you put it on paper.
In return, instead of discussion like “wow, it feels the same to me, I am so surprised, I thought I was the only person who feels like this” or “for me it is completely different; I usually don’t notice anything immediately, but later other people start telling me that I have become smarter, or the smart people whom I respect a lot suddenly become interested at meeting me and talking with me”… in other words, instead of repaying your introspection and sharing with other people’s introspection and sharing… you got hit by a full-speed Vulcan train. “Your evidence is not 100% reliable, and we are going to assume that you are an idiot unaware of this.” You exposed your sensitive belly, and you got kicked there. (It’s not a coincidence that the critics have carefully avoided saying anything about how improving rationality feels to them, and only focused on dissecting you. That’s how one plays it safe.)
Yeah, it sucks.
EDIT: And then it’s funny to scroll the page down and see a comment saying it’s “ordinary and uncontroversial”.
If it helps, I can imagine how it feels.
It looks to me that you tried to answer a question that is really complex and subjective. Of course you don’t have a simple equation where you could just put numbers and say “well, if the result x is positive, it means my rationality has increased; if it is zero, it stayed the same; and if it is negative, it has actually decreased”. Instead you looked into your mind and noticed a few patterns that frequently appear in situations where you believe you have become more rational. And then you put it on paper.
In return, instead of discussion like “wow, it feels the same to me, I am so surprised, I thought I was the only person who feels like this” or “for me it is completely different; I usually don’t notice anything immediately, but later other people start telling me that I have become smarter, or the smart people whom I respect a lot suddenly become interested at meeting me and talking with me”… in other words, instead of repaying your introspection and sharing with other people’s introspection and sharing… you got hit by a full-speed Vulcan train. “Your evidence is not 100% reliable, and we are going to assume that you are an idiot unaware of this.” You exposed your sensitive belly, and you got kicked there. (It’s not a coincidence that the critics have carefully avoided saying anything about how improving rationality feels to them, and only focused on dissecting you. That’s how one plays it safe.)
Yeah, it sucks.
EDIT: And then it’s funny to scroll the page down and see a comment saying it’s “ordinary and uncontroversial”.
Wow. You are good at empathy.