… you’re right. (I like the aesthetics of the “deniable allegory” writing style, but delusionally expecting to get away with it is trying to have one’s cake and eat it, too.) I added a “Content notice” to the description here.
I know it’s rather a side issue, but personally I hate the “deniable allegory” style, though LW is probably a better fit for it than most places …
1. The temptation to say literally-X-but-implying-Y and then respond to someone arguing against Y with “oh, but I wasn’t saying that at all, I was only saying X; how very unreasonable of you to read all that stuff into what I wrote!” is too often too difficult to resist.
2. Even if the deniable-allegorist refrains from any such shenanigans, the fear of them (as a result of being hit by such things in the past by deniable allegorists with fewer scruples) makes it an unpleasant business for anyone who finds themselves disagreeing with any of the implications.
3. And of course the reason why that tactic works is that often one does misunderstand the import of the allegory; a mode of discussion that invites misunderstandings is (to me) disagreeable.
4. The allegorical style can say, or at least gesture towards, a lot of stuff in a small space. This means that anyone trying to respond to it in literal style is liable to look like an awful pedant. On the other hand, if you try to meet an allegory with another allegory, (a) that’s hard to do well and (b) after one or two rounds the chances are that everyone is talking past everyone else. Which might be fun but probably isn’t productive.
… you’re right. (I like the aesthetics of the “deniable allegory” writing style, but delusionally expecting to get away with it is trying to have one’s cake and eat it, too.) I added a “Content notice” to the description here.
I know it’s rather a side issue, but personally I hate the “deniable allegory” style, though LW is probably a better fit for it than most places …
1. The temptation to say literally-X-but-implying-Y and then respond to someone arguing against Y with “oh, but I wasn’t saying that at all, I was only saying X; how very unreasonable of you to read all that stuff into what I wrote!” is too often too difficult to resist.
2. Even if the deniable-allegorist refrains from any such shenanigans, the fear of them (as a result of being hit by such things in the past by deniable allegorists with fewer scruples) makes it an unpleasant business for anyone who finds themselves disagreeing with any of the implications.
3. And of course the reason why that tactic works is that often one does misunderstand the import of the allegory; a mode of discussion that invites misunderstandings is (to me) disagreeable.
4. The allegorical style can say, or at least gesture towards, a lot of stuff in a small space. This means that anyone trying to respond to it in literal style is liable to look like an awful pedant. On the other hand, if you try to meet an allegory with another allegory, (a) that’s hard to do well and (b) after one or two rounds the chances are that everyone is talking past everyone else. Which might be fun but probably isn’t productive.