But a cautionary comparison with 19th centry Socialism (before Bolshevism, totalitarianism, etc) came to mind as soon as I learned about transhumanism and singularitarianism, and indeed my first post to a list from this community (SL4) was about that.
Hmmm… Enlightenment-based ideology that, applied naively as most apply it, loses sight of its own limits and tramples over the greater complexities of human life? Looking to take over the world and usher in a new utopian age? Utilitarian and humanist in basic philosophy?
Yes, the pattern matches. What we can say in the defense of LessWrongism is that the advanced stages of indoctrination do actually include acknowledgement that “there are more things in Heaven and Earth”. Thus, I would generally trust, say, the staff of MIRI and CFAR to act as competent public intellectuals for the new administration of some country that just underwent a revolution, even if I think some LessWrong lurkers and posters would fall immediately into either the Bolshevik/Randian failure mode of acknowledging only one organizing principle in life.
;-) DISCLAIMER: I’m actually a socialist myself and brewing material to talk over with an FHI guy, so the comparison being made here should be taken as “ribbing but friendly”.
Is LessWrongism the new Bolshevism?
Such a strange question in such a strange thread.
No.
But a cautionary comparison with 19th centry Socialism (before Bolshevism, totalitarianism, etc) came to mind as soon as I learned about transhumanism and singularitarianism, and indeed my first post to a list from this community (SL4) was about that.
I wrote an article about this for H+Magazine
(EDIT: And also,,, I just realized that this the above comment should be on the open thread.)
Hmmm… Enlightenment-based ideology that, applied naively as most apply it, loses sight of its own limits and tramples over the greater complexities of human life? Looking to take over the world and usher in a new utopian age? Utilitarian and humanist in basic philosophy?
Yes, the pattern matches. What we can say in the defense of LessWrongism is that the advanced stages of indoctrination do actually include acknowledgement that “there are more things in Heaven and Earth”. Thus, I would generally trust, say, the staff of MIRI and CFAR to act as competent public intellectuals for the new administration of some country that just underwent a revolution, even if I think some LessWrong lurkers and posters would fall immediately into either the Bolshevik/Randian failure mode of acknowledging only one organizing principle in life.
;-) DISCLAIMER: I’m actually a socialist myself and brewing material to talk over with an FHI guy, so the comparison being made here should be taken as “ribbing but friendly”.