One of the key abstract memetic components of LW is something along the lines of “use recent research findings about cognition from fields like psychology, artificial intelligence, probability, and economics to improve your own thinking.” That seems like an idea worth spreading. People could use that idea even if they didn’t accept or understand specific individual techniques like value-of-information calculations.
That is not even the biggest issue. It is more like they make an experiment with 28 upper middle class white American psychology students and deduce that people in general are made more happier by experiences than by possessions.
One of the key abstract memetic components of LW is something along the lines of “use recent research findings about cognition from fields like psychology, artificial intelligence, probability, and economics to improve your own thinking.” That seems like an idea worth spreading. People could use that idea even if they didn’t accept or understand specific individual techniques like value-of-information calculations.
A little knowledge is a dangerous thing.
On the other hand keep in mind that many research findings in medicine (and especially psychology) fail to replicate.
That is not even the biggest issue. It is more like they make an experiment with 28 upper middle class white American psychology students and deduce that people in general are made more happier by experiences than by possessions.