Reminder that the article just said neoreactionaries “crop up” at Less Wrong. Then the author referred to a “conspiracy,” which he admits is just a joke and explicitly says he doesn’t actually believe in it. The fact that Eliezer felt the need to respond explicitly to these two points with an official-sounding disavowal shows hypersensitivity, just like he displayed hypersensitivity in his tone when he reacted to the “Why is Moldbug so popular on Less Wrong?” thread. The tone is one of “Get it off me! Get it off me! Aiyeee!” If he actually wanted to achieve the “get it off me” goal, indifference would be a more effective response.
Does no official response from Hacker News, which also received the damning accusation that neoreactionaries “crop up” there, imply consent and agreement from Y Combinator?
There’s a difference between “neoreactionary” and “expresses skepticism against Progressive Orthodoxy”. Paul Graham might be guilty of the latter, but there’s certainly little evidence to judge him guilty of the former.
Paul Graham might be guilty of the latter, but there’s certainly little evidence to judge him guilty of the former.
I wasn’t aware we were a courtroom and we were holding our opinions to a level of ‘beyond a reasonable doubt’. I was pointing out that silence is often consent & agreement (which it certainly is), that PG has expressed quite a few opinions a neoreactionary might also hold (consistent with holding neoreactionary views, albeit weak evidence), and he has been silent on the article (weak evidence, to be sure, but again, consistent).
that PG has expressed quite a few opinions a neoreactionary might also hold
IAWYC but the relevant standard is “which a neoreactionary is more likely to hold than a non-reactionary”. I’d guess both Ozy Frantz and Eugine_Nier would agree about the colour of the sky, but...
Reminder that the article just said neoreactionaries “crop up” at Less Wrong. Then the author referred to a “conspiracy,” which he admits is just a joke and explicitly says he doesn’t actually believe in it. The fact that Eliezer felt the need to respond explicitly to these two points with an official-sounding disavowal shows hypersensitivity, just like he displayed hypersensitivity in his tone when he reacted to the “Why is Moldbug so popular on Less Wrong?” thread. The tone is one of “Get it off me! Get it off me! Aiyeee!” If he actually wanted to achieve the “get it off me” goal, indifference would be a more effective response.
I routinely read “I was only joking” as “I meant every word but need plausible deniability.”
Silence is often consent & agreement.
Does no official response from Hacker News, which also received the damning accusation that neoreactionaries “crop up” there, imply consent and agreement from Y Combinator?
Given the things PG has said at times, I’m not sure that is a wrong interpretation of matters. Modus ponens, tollens...
There’s a difference between “neoreactionary” and “expresses skepticism against Progressive Orthodoxy”. Paul Graham might be guilty of the latter, but there’s certainly little evidence to judge him guilty of the former.
Are you and Konkvistador using the word with different meanings, the former narrower and the latter broader? or am I missing something? or...
I wasn’t aware we were a courtroom and we were holding our opinions to a level of ‘beyond a reasonable doubt’. I was pointing out that silence is often consent & agreement (which it certainly is), that PG has expressed quite a few opinions a neoreactionary might also hold (consistent with holding neoreactionary views, albeit weak evidence), and he has been silent on the article (weak evidence, to be sure, but again, consistent).
Paul Graham is also a cultural liberal and has the resulting biases. Look at the last section of this essay for a dramatic example.