You seem very fond of boasting of how you’re manipulating this and forcing that and dark-artsing the other. I feel about this roughly the way you feel about Gleb T’s writing.
If I were going to boast, it would be about how you changed your mind on multiple things simultaneously to avoid the obvious feint—and apparently didn’t notice. Your arguments at this point are so weak as to fall apart at the touch; “probably harmless” and “small but nonzero chance of harm” are such a weak standard of evidence for moderation that nothing would be permitted to be discussed here. It would be much harder to prove your prior version proved too much—but you did the work for me.
But go on and keep thinking that what I’m doing is boasting.
I didn’t argue at all there. I pointed out that your position changed in anticipation of an objection you expected me to raise, to forestall the objection from having merit.
The argument, you see, is already over. You played your part, I played mine, and the audience is looking for a new show, the conclusion for this one already having played out in the background.
If I were going to boast, it would be about how you changed your mind on multiple things simultaneously to avoid the obvious feint—and apparently didn’t notice. Your arguments at this point are so weak as to fall apart at the touch; “probably harmless” and “small but nonzero chance of harm” are such a weak standard of evidence for moderation that nothing would be permitted to be discussed here. It would be much harder to prove your prior version proved too much—but you did the work for me.
But go on and keep thinking that what I’m doing is boasting.
You are, not for the first time in this thread, arguing against things I have not said.
I didn’t argue at all there. I pointed out that your position changed in anticipation of an objection you expected me to raise, to forestall the objection from having merit.
The argument, you see, is already over. You played your part, I played mine, and the audience is looking for a new show, the conclusion for this one already having played out in the background.
You got me there!