I think this is a bad thing, and that we need to try to avoid it.
I also think that we are biased not just by wanting the stuff we are good at to be the most important stuff, but also by wanting to agree with the community.
Here is a small step we can take in the right direction.
If you are one of the 15 people who down voted the following post, stop for a minute and ask yourself why. I am not saying either way whether or not the post deserved to be down voted. However, I would not be surprised if several people down voted it for a bad reason.
And if you come up with a reason why that isn’t already in the comments, please add it. It’s a lot less lonely being in the minority if the hate you receive isn’t just a faceless wall of downvotes.
I think this is a bad thing, and that we need to try to avoid it.
I also think that we are biased not just by wanting the stuff we are good at to be the most important stuff, but also by wanting to agree with the community.
Here is a small step we can take in the right direction.
If you are one of the 15 people who down voted the following post, stop for a minute and ask yourself why. I am not saying either way whether or not the post deserved to be down voted. However, I would not be surprised if several people down voted it for a bad reason.
http://lesswrong.com/r/discussion/lw/ji0/the_first_ai_probably_wont_be_very_smart/
And if you come up with a reason why that isn’t already in the comments, please add it. It’s a lot less lonely being in the minority if the hate you receive isn’t just a faceless wall of downvotes.