If you fail to conceal your low-status beliefs you’ll be punished for it socially.
This shows a lack of understanding of signaling theory.
A poor kid wears middle class clothes so that people will think they’re middle class and not poor. A middle class person wears rich clothes so that people will think they’re rich and not middle class. A rich person wears whatever they want, because middle class people are already wearing ‘rich’ clothes and nobody’s going to confuse them for being poor while they’re matching ripped jeans with Rolex watches. If you and your beliefs are already low status, then having ‘crackpot’ beliefs will push your status lower. If you are already high status, then eccentric beliefs will increase your status. At the highest levels of status, people will automatically and unconsciously update their beliefs toward yours.
Your story sounds like Ryan is much higher status than Bob. Ryan’s got kung-fu master level rationality skills versus low level Bayesian judo. Ryan also sounds more articulate and intelligent than Bob, although that might be the halo effect talking since we already established he’s higher status. Bob is outgunned on every level and isn’t smart enough to extricate himself, so of course he’s going to be punished for it socially. It could have been an argument between any two ideological positions and Bob would have lost.
It says nothing about how most of us on Less Wrong should display our beliefs.
Only about 1 in 10 people on Less Wrong are “normal” in terms of the empathizing/systematizing scale, perhaps 1 in 10 are far enough out to be full blown Aspergers, and the rest of us sit somewhere in between, with most people being more to the right of the distribution than the average Cambridge mathematics student.
It is not “damning”. The test diagnoses a particular cognitive style, characterised by precision and attention to detail—this is of no great benefit in social settings, and in extreme cases can lead to difficulty in social interaction and peculiar behaviour. On the other hand, in sciences, engineering and probably philosophy, this style brings major benefits. The overall quality of LW site is a reflection of this.
Aspergers and anti-social tendencies are, as far as I can tell, highly correlated with low social status. I agree with you that the test also selects for people who are good at the sciences and engineering. Unfortunately scientists and engineers also have low social status in western society.
First Xachariah suggested I may have misunderstood signaling theory. Then Incorrect said that what I said would be correct assuming LessWrong readers have low status. Then I replied with evidence that I think supports that position. You probably interpreted what I said in a different context.
This shows a lack of understanding of signaling theory.
A poor kid wears middle class clothes so that people will think they’re middle class and not poor. A middle class person wears rich clothes so that people will think they’re rich and not middle class. A rich person wears whatever they want, because middle class people are already wearing ‘rich’ clothes and nobody’s going to confuse them for being poor while they’re matching ripped jeans with Rolex watches. If you and your beliefs are already low status, then having ‘crackpot’ beliefs will push your status lower. If you are already high status, then eccentric beliefs will increase your status. At the highest levels of status, people will automatically and unconsciously update their beliefs toward yours.
Your story sounds like Ryan is much higher status than Bob. Ryan’s got kung-fu master level rationality skills versus low level Bayesian judo. Ryan also sounds more articulate and intelligent than Bob, although that might be the halo effect talking since we already established he’s higher status. Bob is outgunned on every level and isn’t smart enough to extricate himself, so of course he’s going to be punished for it socially. It could have been an argument between any two ideological positions and Bob would have lost.
It says nothing about how most of us on Less Wrong should display our beliefs.
He may be more familiar with certain other internet communities and assume most LessWrong readers have low status.
I see what you did there.
http://lesswrong.com/lw/28w/aspergers_poll_results_lw_is_on_the_spectrum/
I’d say that’s pretty damning.
It is not “damning”. The test diagnoses a particular cognitive style, characterised by precision and attention to detail—this is of no great benefit in social settings, and in extreme cases can lead to difficulty in social interaction and peculiar behaviour. On the other hand, in sciences, engineering and probably philosophy, this style brings major benefits. The overall quality of LW site is a reflection of this.
Aspergers and anti-social tendencies are, as far as I can tell, highly correlated with low social status. I agree with you that the test also selects for people who are good at the sciences and engineering. Unfortunately scientists and engineers also have low social status in western society.
First Xachariah suggested I may have misunderstood signaling theory. Then Incorrect said that what I said would be correct assuming LessWrong readers have low status. Then I replied with evidence that I think supports that position. You probably interpreted what I said in a different context.