It seems like a defining characteristic; it’s one place where the site clearly differs from more “mainstream” AI research (though this may be a distorted perception since it was how I first heard of LW)
It’s not. Your view is definitely distorted.
Shrug. It looks dodgy to me. It pattern-matches with e.g. the unverifiable stories people tell of their personal experience of Jesus.
..
That’s not at all clear. I’ve never seen any explicit rules. I’ve seen articles that carefully avoid saying the name.
Look around then? Eliezer has even made a Reddit thread for things like that where the basilisk is freely discussed.
Even on internet forums there’s usually an explicit distinction between mod and not, and often layers to it. (The one exception I know is HN, and even there people know who pg is, who’s part of YC and who’s not, and stories are presented differently if they’re coming from YC members). And it’s unusual and suspicious for the high-ups to all be on first name terms with each other. It raises questions over objectivity, oversight, conflict resolution.
Yeah, and people here know who Eliezer Yudkowsky is and who is part of MIRI which is LW’s parent organization..
Look around then? Eliezer has even made a Reddit thread for things like that where the basilisk is freely discussed.
I’m not active on reddit. Most forums have a link to the rules right next to the comment box; this one does not. There clearly is a chilling effect going on, because I’ve seen posts that make carefully oblique references to memetic hazards rather than just saying “don’t post the basilisk in the comments please”.
Yeah, and people here know who Eliezer Yudkowsky is and who is part of MIRI which is LW’s parent organization
I have no idea who’s part of MIRI and which posts are or aren’t from MIRI, because we don’t do the equivalent of (YC 09) on stories here. (And HN was explicitly the worst other example I know; they could certainly stand to improve their transparency a lot).
It’s not. Your view is definitely distorted.
..
Look around then? Eliezer has even made a Reddit thread for things like that where the basilisk is freely discussed.
Yeah, and people here know who Eliezer Yudkowsky is and who is part of MIRI which is LW’s parent organization..
I’m not active on reddit. Most forums have a link to the rules right next to the comment box; this one does not. There clearly is a chilling effect going on, because I’ve seen posts that make carefully oblique references to memetic hazards rather than just saying “don’t post the basilisk in the comments please”.
I have no idea who’s part of MIRI and which posts are or aren’t from MIRI, because we don’t do the equivalent of (YC 09) on stories here. (And HN was explicitly the worst other example I know; they could certainly stand to improve their transparency a lot).