Oh, I expect that he’ll be fine, but he’s clearly decided that he doesn’t want to be a part of LW2 after all. It is striking how similar this is to the Roko case though—what people don’t really understand today is how silly that whole episode in LW1 history had made him look, and how much of a perceived loss of ‘face’ that must have been for him. I think that we’re dealing with something very similar here (if perhaps not on the same scale) and I do have to wonder what this says about our broader attitude to newcomers, mild dissidents and the like. How can we ensure that people as far as practicable will feel genuinely welcomed here, and not like they’re constantly being judged for the correctness and properness of their ‘rationality’, or placed under an uncomfortable ‘spotlight’?
(I do have some simple ideas along these lines that might be especially appropriate for LW2, and I’ve even hinted at them before, but I expect them to be a bit contentious so I’d rather be sure that people are actually interested...)
I’m not sure if this is known to you, but I realize it may not be obvious to other people (and it’s not a secret, but not widely advertised either): “Conor” was someone’s alt account, not actually a newcomer. (His main account has also been wiped.) I don’t think it would be fair to call him a ‘dissident’ either. ‘Placed under an uncomfortable spotlight’ does seem closer, although I can’t quite fathom the reaction unless there were comments I didn’t see (perhaps ones that GW didn’t have time to mirror, between their creation and their final removal.)
FWIW, I didn’t necessarily intend the term “dissident” in an especially negative sense, or even with any real negative connotation. I literally mean “someone who disagrees or dissents, one who separates themself from the established religion; a dissenter.” It was also meant to highlight the fact that there are clearly a lot of people like that, as a necessary consequence of LW’s overall nature as a remarkably developed ‘memeplex’ (just like most real-world religions and perhaps political ideologies).
I’m no expert on reading people, and have never met Conor or interacted with him much. But if you’d asked me in advance whether Conor would delete his entire posting history, upon deciding LW2 wasn’t for him, I would have said that seemed very unlikely.
And combined with other recent events which I’m not sure how public they are, I worry that something more is happening.
(I do have a minor good sign that the virtue of silence compels me not to reveal.)
But if you’d asked me in advance whether Conor would delete his entire posting history, upon deciding LW2 wasn’t for him, I would have said that seemed very unlikely.
Conor said, several times, that this was the strategy he would take if he decided that LW2 wasn’t for him. (I would link you to those comments, but...)
I would also have said that it seemed quite unlikely, but my perception is that he’s had ample opportunity to clarify and has not done so, which leaves me feeling that ‘gone Roko’ is the most likely conclusion available to me. (I have definitely seen confirmation that he is still around and communicating with others outside of this site, as of today, and is not radiating obvious distress in so doing.)
I will go ahead and confirm that the author has removed his LW posts. I haven’t had a chance to talk with them about it in detail yet and so don’t want to speculate further.
Indeed, www.lesswrong.com/users/conor-moreton seems to be doing just that.
I hope he’s okay.
Oh, I expect that he’ll be fine, but he’s clearly decided that he doesn’t want to be a part of LW2 after all. It is striking how similar this is to the Roko case though—what people don’t really understand today is how silly that whole episode in LW1 history had made him look, and how much of a perceived loss of ‘face’ that must have been for him.
I think that we’re dealing with something very similar here (if perhaps not on the same scale) and I do have to wonder what this says about our broader attitude to newcomers, mild dissidents and the like. How can we ensure that people as far as practicable will feel genuinely welcomed here, and not like they’re constantly being judged for the correctness and properness of their ‘rationality’, or placed under an uncomfortable ‘spotlight’?
(I do have some simple ideas along these lines that might be especially appropriate for LW2, and I’ve even hinted at them before, but I expect them to be a bit contentious so I’d rather be sure that people are actually interested...)
I’m not sure if this is known to you, but I realize it may not be obvious to other people (and it’s not a secret, but not widely advertised either): “Conor” was someone’s alt account, not actually a newcomer. (His main account has also been wiped.) I don’t think it would be fair to call him a ‘dissident’ either. ‘Placed under an uncomfortable spotlight’ does seem closer, although I can’t quite fathom the reaction unless there were comments I didn’t see (perhaps ones that GW didn’t have time to mirror, between their creation and their final removal.)
FWIW, I didn’t necessarily intend the term “dissident” in an especially negative sense, or even with any real negative connotation. I literally mean “someone who disagrees or dissents, one who separates themself from the established religion; a dissenter.” It was also meant to highlight the fact that there are clearly a lot of people like that, as a necessary consequence of LW’s overall nature as a remarkably developed ‘memeplex’ (just like most real-world religions and perhaps political ideologies).
I’m no expert on reading people, and have never met Conor or interacted with him much. But if you’d asked me in advance whether Conor would delete his entire posting history, upon deciding LW2 wasn’t for him, I would have said that seemed very unlikely.
And combined with other recent events which I’m not sure how public they are, I worry that something more is happening.
(I do have a minor good sign that the virtue of silence compels me not to reveal.)
Conor said, several times, that this was the strategy he would take if he decided that LW2 wasn’t for him. (I would link you to those comments, but...)
Huh. Okay. Score one predictive failure.
I’m glad he’s presumably okay. Also, saddened to have lost him and his writings.
I would also have said that it seemed quite unlikely, but my perception is that he’s had ample opportunity to clarify and has not done so, which leaves me feeling that ‘gone Roko’ is the most likely conclusion available to me. (I have definitely seen confirmation that he is still around and communicating with others outside of this site, as of today, and is not radiating obvious distress in so doing.)
I will go ahead and confirm that the author has removed his LW posts. I haven’t had a chance to talk with them about it in detail yet and so don’t want to speculate further.