an assumption that anyone who doesn’t already employ this tactic must have considered it and have solid reasons to not use it?
I think by default, the main way rationalists become less trustworthy is not on purpose: it comes from a form of naive consequentialism where you do things like make plans with people and then abandon them for better plans without considering the larger effect of this sort of behavior on how much people trust you. One way to say it is that one of the main consequences of you taking an action is to update other people’s models of you and this is a consequence that naive consequentialists typically undervalue.
I think by default, the main way rationalists become less trustworthy is not on purpose: it comes from a form of naive consequentialism where you do things like make plans with people and then abandon them for better plans without considering the larger effect of this sort of behavior on how much people trust you. One way to say it is that one of the main consequences of you taking an action is to update other people’s models of you and this is a consequence that naive consequentialists typically undervalue.