‘withing’. Also, I don’t entirely understand—is the point that the professor, contra his students, argues in the reliability and objectivity of vision and then turns around and argues the opposite against his wife?
I think the point is that the professor’s stated philosophical beliefs (that sense-perceptions are an invalid means of knowing reality) contradict his commonsense desire for his daughter to have good vision, and thus his elaborate arguments are shown to be disconnected from reality.
I think the point is that the professor’s stated philosophical beliefs (that sense-perceptions are an invalid means of knowing reality) contradict his commonsense desire for his daughter to have good vision, and thus his elaborate arguments are shown to be disconnected from reality.
The professor’s hypocrisy isn’t (non-negligible) evidence for or against the connectedness of his arguments to reality. Instead, it is evidence that there is divergence between the professor’s stated beliefs and his actual beliefs (assuming he that he cares about his daughters eyesight, believes an optometrist can help her eyesight, etc...).
“A professor from Columbia University had an offer from Harvard. He couldn’t make up his mind—whether he should accept or reject… So a colleague took him aside and said, ‘What is your problem? Just maximise your expected utility! You always tell your students to do so.’ Exasperated, the professor responded, ‘C’mon, this is serious.’”—Gigerenzer
The professor isn’t arguing a different point to his wife than he was lecturing to his students; he’s just responding to her from the viewpoint of the philosophy he is teaching. Interestingly, some of what he says isn’t that different from LWideas. His problem is that he forgets that his view of reality should add up to normality. Just because people can’t see things directly but must instead look at copies of things within their own brain does not make vision “mere” or mean that fixing his daughter’s eyesight is somehow less important (as his wife amusingly reminds him).
‘withing’. Also, I don’t entirely understand—is the point that the professor, contra his students, argues in the reliability and objectivity of vision and then turns around and argues the opposite against his wife?
I think the point is that the professor’s stated philosophical beliefs (that sense-perceptions are an invalid means of knowing reality) contradict his commonsense desire for his daughter to have good vision, and thus his elaborate arguments are shown to be disconnected from reality.
The professor’s hypocrisy isn’t (non-negligible) evidence for or against the connectedness of his arguments to reality. Instead, it is evidence that there is divergence between the professor’s stated beliefs and his actual beliefs (assuming he that he cares about his daughters eyesight, believes an optometrist can help her eyesight, etc...).
True, good point.
“A professor from Columbia University had an offer from Harvard. He couldn’t make up his mind—whether he should accept or reject… So a colleague took him aside and said, ‘What is your problem? Just maximise your expected utility! You always tell your students to do so.’ Exasperated, the professor responded, ‘C’mon, this is serious.’”—Gigerenzer
Dupe and bad paraphrase of http://lesswrong.com/lw/890/rationality_quotes_november_2011/5aq7
Fixed, thanks!
The professor isn’t arguing a different point to his wife than he was lecturing to his students; he’s just responding to her from the viewpoint of the philosophy he is teaching. Interestingly, some of what he says isn’t that different from LW ideas. His problem is that he forgets that his view of reality should add up to normality. Just because people can’t see things directly but must instead look at copies of things within their own brain does not make vision “mere” or mean that fixing his daughter’s eyesight is somehow less important (as his wife amusingly reminds him).