As long as we’re allowing some discussion on off-topic subjects that are not “the art of human rationality”, can we please get rid of the useful off-topic subjects last?
If that community couldn’t sustain itself, is there reason to think a subreddit here would prosper any better?
The problem with discussion of AGI, nanotechnology, and all the other “Shock Level N” memes for N ≥ 2 is that there is no real subject matter. For the most part it’s just verbal geekery about cool ideas that no-one is actually doing anything about, because they’re too far beyond current capabilities. Fine to engage in for a while at an SF con or in a pub with other geeks, but there’s only so long you can be at a party before realising you’re just seeing the same ideas over and over and it’s time to leave.
I never read SL4 -- is that an accurate description of why it died?
As for its relation to SL4, I’d say that it sounds roughly right—I wouldn’t go as far as to say that there was “no real subject matter”, but it’s true that the list eventually ran out of worthwhile things to say that hadn’t been already discussed.
Aha—a relevant discussion was had on the list about a year ago, hereabouts.
We really ought to have a subreddit if people really want to talk about sl4/fai topics here. A different site on the same engine would be even better.
This is theoretically a good idea, but I think at present there is so much crossover between the communities that it would be unwise to make such a move.
What about having softish separation like between main and discussion posts? Accounts and karma and code is shared, but different sections with different articles.
Besides, the subject matters of the two have significant overlap. Where would you put formal analysis/development of various decision theories, for example?
Move to Discussion.
As an aside, I seriously think we need to start considering general AI stuff as off-topic again.
It’s not “general AI stuff”, it’s about Friendly AI, as suggested by the post’s title.
Joshua, congrats on publishing this.
In this context I put Friendly AI in the category of “general AI stuff”.
The important part here is that it’s about FAI, not about the art of human rationality.
As long as we’re allowing some discussion on off-topic subjects that are not “the art of human rationality”, can we please get rid of the useful off-topic subjects last?
I’d rather diminish the discussion of off-topic subjects, and get rid of the noisiest topics first.
AI and FAI are notable because people like to talk about them a lot for something off-topic.
I’d be more likely to agree if there were somewhere else to productively discuss Singularity/FAI issues.
I agree that there should be somewhere else to discuss those things.
SL4?
Does that still exist?
The site’s there, but I don’t know how active the community still is.
Dead.
If that community couldn’t sustain itself, is there reason to think a subreddit here would prosper any better?
The problem with discussion of AGI, nanotechnology, and all the other “Shock Level N” memes for N ≥ 2 is that there is no real subject matter. For the most part it’s just verbal geekery about cool ideas that no-one is actually doing anything about, because they’re too far beyond current capabilities. Fine to engage in for a while at an SF con or in a pub with other geeks, but there’s only so long you can be at a party before realising you’re just seeing the same ideas over and over and it’s time to leave.
I never read SL4 -- is that an accurate description of why it died?
I’ve entertained a similar hypothesis myself.
As for its relation to SL4, I’d say that it sounds roughly right—I wouldn’t go as far as to say that there was “no real subject matter”, but it’s true that the list eventually ran out of worthwhile things to say that hadn’t been already discussed.
Aha—a relevant discussion was had on the list about a year ago, hereabouts.
We really ought to have a subreddit if people really want to talk about sl4/fai topics here. A different site on the same engine would be even better.
I’m 100% for this. If there were such a site I would probably permanently relocate there.
Perhaps the Singularity Institute and the Center for Applied Rationality should have separate community blogs?
This is theoretically a good idea, but I think at present there is so much crossover between the communities that it would be unwise to make such a move.
What about having softish separation like between main and discussion posts? Accounts and karma and code is shared, but different sections with different articles.
Besides, the subject matters of the two have significant overlap. Where would you put formal analysis/development of various decision theories, for example?
Speaking of which, where is all that good stuff put as it stands?
In all seriousness, you may want to try Stuart Armstrong’s user page.
Put it on either and link it from the other one.
I like AI stuff.
I hope you realize that your liking of the off-topic subject is not relevant to this discussion.
As do I.
+1
It’s interesting, but it’s not something that fits the tagline: “refining the art of human rationality”.