I disagree with Eliezer Yudkowsky on a lot, but one thing I can say for his credibility is that in possible futures where he’s right, nobody will be around to laud his correctness, and in possible futures where he’s wrong, it will arguably be very clear how wrong his views were. Even if he has a big ego (as Lex Fridman suggested), this is a good reason to view his position as sincere and—dare I say it—selfless.
I don’t think his position is falsifiable in his lifetime. He has gained a lot of influence because of it that he wouldn’t have with a mainstream viewpoint. (I do think he’s sincere, but the incentives are the same as all radical ideas.)
I disagree with Eliezer Yudkowsky on a lot, but one thing I can say for his credibility is that in possible futures where he’s right, nobody will be around to laud his correctness, and in possible futures where he’s wrong, it will arguably be very clear how wrong his views were. Even if he has a big ego (as Lex Fridman suggested), this is a good reason to view his position as sincere and—dare I say it—selfless.
I don’t think his position is falsifiable in his lifetime. He has gained a lot of influence because of it that he wouldn’t have with a mainstream viewpoint. (I do think he’s sincere, but the incentives are the same as all radical ideas.)