Thanks for calling this out. I was imagining explaining it to a friend or family member who is at least somewhat charitable and trusting of my judgement. In that case, I expect them to not raise hackles, and I think it’s useful to communicate that I think the authors are particularly smart.
However, if this were something that were posted on Less Wrong’s About page, for example, I could definitely see how this would turn newcomers away, and I agree with you. Self-promoting as “really, really smart” definitely does seem like something that turns people off and makes them skeptical.
Thanks for calling this out. I was imagining explaining it to a friend or family member who is at least somewhat charitable and trusting of my judgement. In that case, I expect them to not raise hackles, and I think it’s useful to communicate that I think the authors are particularly smart.
However, if this were something that were posted on Less Wrong’s About page, for example, I could definitely see how this would turn newcomers away, and I agree with you. Self-promoting as “really, really smart” definitely does seem like something that turns people off and makes them skeptical.
Thank you for being gracious about accepting the criticism.
:)