I so dislike that phrase. Unfortunately, you’re probably right about its referent’s signaling implications.
On the other hand, I’ve generally found it more productive to assume that there are coherent reasons behind any particular decision. Perhaps Eliezer et al. thought they could get more mileage out of the word’s positive associations among adherents than they’d lose from its negative associations among skeptics—or perhaps it’s just that it was a less loaded concept back in 2000. Probably both.
I so dislike that phrase. Unfortunately, you’re probably right about its referent’s signaling implications.
On the other hand, I’ve generally found it more productive to assume that there are coherent reasons behind any particular decision. Perhaps Eliezer et al. thought they could get more mileage out of the word’s positive associations among adherents than they’d lose from its negative associations among skeptics—or perhaps it’s just that it was a less loaded concept back in 2000. Probably both.
Nope, actually Eliezer also feels bad about SIAI name. He jokingly suggested it should have been named the Good Institute, after I. J. Good.
No public comments along those lines though, AFAICS.
Oh, yeah, it wasn’t a public comment. He was just visiting the rationality mini-camp and the topic came up.
If SIAI were being founded today, it would surely be called the Rationality Institute.