And I hate to say it, but this article is really just telling the LW crowd things it already knows, and, more importantly, already appreciates beyond merely “knowing it in the abstract”.
I think you’re overestimating the level most LessWrong viewers are on. And anyway, dismissing good posts about elementary rationality stuff “because things discussed are already known” does sound a bit worrysome. We all start at the bottom.
this article is really just telling the LW crowd things it already knows, and, more importantly, already appreciates beyond merely “knowing it in the abstract”.
I’m fine with articles that tell us stuff we already know, or that someone wrote an article about before. No one’s perfect, we need remindings, the article might present it with a better perspective or explanation, etc. What makes this article different is that LWers don’t just know it, they actually appreciate the insight, i.e. put it into practice and successfully avoid errors based on assuming something has infinite value.
And, for that matter, I don’t think that any of the newbies, except maybe the really “out-there ones”, have made such an error.
LWers don’t just know it, they actually appreciate the insight [that life has a price], i.e. put it into practice and successfully avoid errors based on assuming something has infinite value. And, for that matter, I don’t think that any of the newbies, except maybe the really “out-there ones”, have made such an error.
Would this imply no Less Wrong readers believe in God?
Also, shedding the belief that life has infinite value is not a quick and simple process. It’s more like the beginning of an ongoing process. It requires pricing many things we consider priceless, where plenty of cognitive biases will get in the way.
I think you’re overestimating the level most LessWrong viewers are on. And anyway, dismissing good posts about elementary rationality stuff “because things discussed are already known” does sound a bit worrysome. We all start at the bottom.
I agree. But note that I was careful to say:
I’m fine with articles that tell us stuff we already know, or that someone wrote an article about before. No one’s perfect, we need remindings, the article might present it with a better perspective or explanation, etc. What makes this article different is that LWers don’t just know it, they actually appreciate the insight, i.e. put it into practice and successfully avoid errors based on assuming something has infinite value.
And, for that matter, I don’t think that any of the newbies, except maybe the really “out-there ones”, have made such an error.
Would this imply no Less Wrong readers believe in God?
Also, shedding the belief that life has infinite value is not a quick and simple process. It’s more like the beginning of an ongoing process. It requires pricing many things we consider priceless, where plenty of cognitive biases will get in the way.
P.S. You’re saying Clippy is “out there”? :)