Filtering away mistakes, unimportant points, unnecessary complications, etc., from preexisting ideas is (as long as the core idea one extracts is good) a very general way to contribute value, because it makes the ideas involved easier to understand.
Adding stronger arguments, more informative and accessible examples, etc. contributes value because then it shows what is more robust and gives more material to dig down into understanding it, and also because it clarifies why some people may find the idea attractive.
Explanations for the changes, especially for the dropped things, can build value because it clarifies the consensus about what parts were wrong, and if Quintin disagrees with the removals, it provides signals to him about what he didn’t clarify well enough.
When these are done on a sufficiently important point, with sufficiently much skill, and maybe also with sufficiently much luck, this can in principle provide a ton of value, both because information in general is high-leverage due to being easily shareable, and because this particular form of information can help resolve conflicts and rebuild trust.
Do you think that if someone filtered and steelmanned Quintin’s criticism, it would be valuable? (No promises)
Yes.
Filtering away mistakes, unimportant points, unnecessary complications, etc., from preexisting ideas is (as long as the core idea one extracts is good) a very general way to contribute value, because it makes the ideas involved easier to understand.
Adding stronger arguments, more informative and accessible examples, etc. contributes value because then it shows what is more robust and gives more material to dig down into understanding it, and also because it clarifies why some people may find the idea attractive.
Explanations for the changes, especially for the dropped things, can build value because it clarifies the consensus about what parts were wrong, and if Quintin disagrees with the removals, it provides signals to him about what he didn’t clarify well enough.
When these are done on a sufficiently important point, with sufficiently much skill, and maybe also with sufficiently much luck, this can in principle provide a ton of value, both because information in general is high-leverage due to being easily shareable, and because this particular form of information can help resolve conflicts and rebuild trust.