It’s because they take less continued attention/effort and provide more immediate/satisfying results. LW is almost purely theoretical and isn’t designed to be efficient. It’s an attempt to logically override bias rather than implement the quirks of human neurochemistry to automate the process.
Computer scientists are notorious for this. They know how brains make thoughts happen, but they don’t have a clue how people think, so ego drives them to rationalize a framework to perceive the flaws of others as uncuriousness and lack of dedication. This happens because they’re just as human as the rest of us, made of the same biological approximation of inherited “good-enoughness.” And the smarter they are, the more complex and well-reasoned that rationalization will be.
We all seek to affirm our current beliefs and blame others for discrepancies. It’s instinct, physics, chemistry. No amount of logic and reason can override the instinct to defend one’s perception of reality. Or other instincts either. Examples are everywhere. Every fat person in the world has been thoroughly educated on which lifestyle changes will cause them to lose weight, yet the obesity epidemic still grows.
Therefore, we study “rationality” to see ourselves as the good-guy protagonists who strive to be “less wrong,” have “accurate beliefs,” and “be effective at achieving our goals.”
It’s important work… for computers. For humanity, you’re better off consulting a monk.
It’s because they take less continued attention/effort and provide more immediate/satisfying results. LW is almost purely theoretical and isn’t designed to be efficient. It’s an attempt to logically override bias rather than implement the quirks of human neurochemistry to automate the process.
Computer scientists are notorious for this. They know how brains make thoughts happen, but they don’t have a clue how people think, so ego drives them to rationalize a framework to perceive the flaws of others as uncuriousness and lack of dedication. This happens because they’re just as human as the rest of us, made of the same biological approximation of inherited “good-enoughness.” And the smarter they are, the more complex and well-reasoned that rationalization will be.
We all seek to affirm our current beliefs and blame others for discrepancies. It’s instinct, physics, chemistry. No amount of logic and reason can override the instinct to defend one’s perception of reality. Or other instincts either. Examples are everywhere. Every fat person in the world has been thoroughly educated on which lifestyle changes will cause them to lose weight, yet the obesity epidemic still grows.
Therefore, we study “rationality” to see ourselves as the good-guy protagonists who strive to be “less wrong,” have “accurate beliefs,” and “be effective at achieving our goals.”
It’s important work… for computers. For humanity, you’re better off consulting a monk.