The problem is not that there is a distribution of X along a spectrum, more so a problem that X is arbitrarily defined by each imperfect agent with some non-zero degree of self-serving goals, and that each agent can secretly coordinate with other agents.
So readers will always have the lingering suspicion that some amount of secret coordination is going on behind the scenes.
Of course this general principle applies to nearly everything, including every internet essay ever written, but it’s especially noticeable when very high levels of trust are needed in a community.
There is no such problem with physical units of measurement, such as mass, because no amount of political power, social status, etc., can even slightly tilt the meaning of 1 kg without a worldwide consensus.
Since billions of people have enough resources to independently verify what’s 1 kg or not, the effective outcome is a billion+ strong unanimous consensus. A consensus of a few dozen LW accounts is microscopic in comparison.
The problem is not that there is a distribution of X along a spectrum, more so a problem that X is arbitrarily defined by each imperfect agent with some non-zero degree of self-serving goals, and that each agent can secretly coordinate with other agents.
So readers will always have the lingering suspicion that some amount of secret coordination is going on behind the scenes.
Of course this general principle applies to nearly everything, including every internet essay ever written, but it’s especially noticeable when very high levels of trust are needed in a community.
There is no such problem with physical units of measurement, such as mass, because no amount of political power, social status, etc., can even slightly tilt the meaning of 1 kg without a worldwide consensus.
Since billions of people have enough resources to independently verify what’s 1 kg or not, the effective outcome is a billion+ strong unanimous consensus. A consensus of a few dozen LW accounts is microscopic in comparison.