Allow me to provide a little context by quoting from a comment, now deleted, Eliezer made this weekend in reply to Roko and clearly addressed to Roko:
I don’t usually talk like this, but I’m going to make an exception for this case.
Listen to me very closely, you idiot.
[paragraph entirely in bolded caps.]
[four paragraphs of technical explanation.]
I am disheartened that people can be . . . not clever enough to do the obvious thing and KEEP THEIR IDIOT MOUTHS SHUT about it, because it is much more important to sound intelligent when talking to your friends.
This post was STUPID.
Although it does not IMHO make it praiseworthy, the above quote probably makes Roko’s decision to mass delete his comments more understandable on an emotional level.
In defense of Eliezer, the occasion of Eliezer’s comment was one in which IMHO strong emotion and strong language might reasonably be seen as appropriate.
If either Roko or Eliezer wants me to delete (part of all of) this comment, I will.
EDIT: added the “I don’t usually talk like this” paragraph to my quote in repsonse to criticism by Aleksei.
Out of curiosity, what’s the purpose of the banning? Is it really assumed that banning the post will mean it can’t be found in the future via other means or is it effectively a punishment to discourage other people from taking similar actions in the future?
Does not seem very nice to take such an out-of-context partial quote from Eliezer’s comment. You could have included the first paragraph, where he commented on the unusual nature of the language he’s going to use now (the comment indeed didn’t start off as you here implied), and also the later parts where he again commented on why he thought such unusual language was appropriate.
I’m still having trouble seeing how so much global utility could be lost because of a short blog comment. If your plans are that brittle, with that much downside, I’m not sure security by obscurity is such a wise strategy either...
The major issue as I understand it wasn’t the global utility problem but the issue that when Roko posted the comment he knew that some people were having nightmares about the scenario in question. Presumably increasing the set of people who are nervous wrecks is not good.
I was told it was something that, if thought about too much, would cause post-epic level problems. The nightmare aspect wasn’t part of my concept of whatever it is until now.
I also get the feeling Eliezer wouldn’t react as dramatically as an above synopsis implies unless it was a big deal (or hilarious to do so). He seems pretty … rational, I think is the word. Despite his denial of being Quirrell in a parent post, a non-deliberate explosive rant and topic banning seems unlikely.
He also mentions that only a certain inappropriate post was banned, and Roko said he deleted his own posts himself. And yet the implication going around that it was all deleted as administrative action. A rumor started by Eliezer himself so he could deny being “evil,” knowing some wouldn’t believe him? Quirrell wouldn’t do that, right? ;)
Allow me to provide a little context by quoting from a comment, now deleted, Eliezer made this weekend in reply to Roko and clearly addressed to Roko:
Although it does not IMHO make it praiseworthy, the above quote probably makes Roko’s decision to mass delete his comments more understandable on an emotional level.
In defense of Eliezer, the occasion of Eliezer’s comment was one in which IMHO strong emotion and strong language might reasonably be seen as appropriate.
If either Roko or Eliezer wants me to delete (part of all of) this comment, I will.
EDIT: added the “I don’t usually talk like this” paragraph to my quote in repsonse to criticism by Aleksei.
I’m not them, but I’d very much like your comment to stay here and never be deleted.
Your up-votes didn’t help, it seems.
Woah.
Thanks for alerting me to this fact, Tim.
Out of curiosity, what’s the purpose of the banning? Is it really assumed that banning the post will mean it can’t be found in the future via other means or is it effectively a punishment to discourage other people from taking similar actions in the future?
Does not seem very nice to take such an out-of-context partial quote from Eliezer’s comment. You could have included the first paragraph, where he commented on the unusual nature of the language he’s going to use now (the comment indeed didn’t start off as you here implied), and also the later parts where he again commented on why he thought such unusual language was appropriate.
I’m still having trouble seeing how so much global utility could be lost because of a short blog comment. If your plans are that brittle, with that much downside, I’m not sure security by obscurity is such a wise strategy either...
The major issue as I understand it wasn’t the global utility problem but the issue that when Roko posted the comment he knew that some people were having nightmares about the scenario in question. Presumably increasing the set of people who are nervous wrecks is not good.
I was told it was something that, if thought about too much, would cause post-epic level problems. The nightmare aspect wasn’t part of my concept of whatever it is until now.
I also get the feeling Eliezer wouldn’t react as dramatically as an above synopsis implies unless it was a big deal (or hilarious to do so). He seems pretty … rational, I think is the word. Despite his denial of being Quirrell in a parent post, a non-deliberate explosive rant and topic banning seems unlikely.
He also mentions that only a certain inappropriate post was banned, and Roko said he deleted his own posts himself. And yet the implication going around that it was all deleted as administrative action. A rumor started by Eliezer himself so he could deny being “evil,” knowing some wouldn’t believe him? Quirrell wouldn’t do that, right? ;)