“It is wrong always, everywhere, and for anyone, to believe anything upon insufficient evidence.”
~William Kingdon Clifford
This is the quote that got me thinking about rationality as something other than “a word you use to describe things you believe so that you can deride those who disagree with you.”
One of the most insidious sources of confusion, I find, is the distinction between the meaning of a word and its most frequent uses. It ties into the whole “Applause Lights” phenomenon, particularly “Fake Norms”.
P.S. Belatedly: Welcome to Less Wrong! Feel free to introduce yourself in that thread.
“It is wrong always, everywhere, and for anyone, to believe anything upon insufficient evidence.” ~William Kingdon Clifford
This is the quote that got me thinking about rationality as something other than “a word you use to describe things you believe so that you can deride those who disagree with you.”
One of the most insidious sources of confusion, I find, is the distinction between the meaning of a word and its most frequent uses. It ties into the whole “Applause Lights” phenomenon, particularly “Fake Norms”.
P.S. Belatedly: Welcome to Less Wrong! Feel free to introduce yourself in that thread.