For the record, my views differ frequently from those on Less Wrong (I’m a frequentist, theist, platonist, etc.) but I think Less Wrong does not suffer from groupthink = censorship or repression of different views. In fact, it’s amazing how little it does.
Less Wrong does have a lot of clustering of views, which is a very interesting phenomenon. I think there are reasons for why the views cluster together other than the simplest explanation that these views are all correct! (For example, considering the clustering of views that are neither correct nor incorrect, but represent preferences.)
“Less Wrong does have a lot of clustering of views, which is a very interesting phenomenon. I think there are reasons for why the views cluster together other than the simplest explanation that these views are all correct! ”
90% of the time I agree with this assessment, but I suspect that there is a subtler selection-bias amongst the members determining the remaining 10%; there have been some suggestions in research literature that a biological basis for morality influences whether somebody becomes Liberal or Conservative (that awfully reported study from a year ago, for instance). LW and OB tend to attract those who are comfortable in an Academic environment, and (for instance) I’ve observed that University graduates tend to underestimate the utility of violence.
There are probably a number of other traits that are positively correlated to Academics, but not necessarily to intelligence; unfortunately the nature of our discourse here usually bores people in, for instance, SpecOps*, the Arts, Engineering, and other fields known for requiring intelligence; this bias would be worth keeping in mind, but I don’t see that LW could be ‘fixed’ to become more user friendly.
I don’t think that my ‘platonian’ beliefs are on-topic here on Less Wrong, but since they seem to form the foundation/substrate of my beliefs they leak through sometimes. (For whoever is down-voting me, I agree it was unwise of me to link to those old comments...)
I don’t think that my ‘platonian’ beliefs are on-topic here on Less Wrong,
Really? Understanding and clarifying the concepts and categories we use to organize our beliefs seems pretty damn on topic compared cryonics, personal identity and creating a billion dollars out of nothing.
Not to mention I’m pretty sure nominalism is wrong/bad so I’d really like to know if all the smart people here disagree with me. And if indeed we find overlapping views here we might find that a particular ‘metaphysical’ view (terrible term) is more conducive to thinking rationally, which would be interesting.
For the record, my views differ frequently from those on Less Wrong (I’m a frequentist, theist, platonist, etc.) but I think Less Wrong does not suffer from groupthink = censorship or repression of different views. In fact, it’s amazing how little it does.
Less Wrong does have a lot of clustering of views, which is a very interesting phenomenon. I think there are reasons for why the views cluster together other than the simplest explanation that these views are all correct! (For example, considering the clustering of views that are neither correct nor incorrect, but represent preferences.)
“Less Wrong does have a lot of clustering of views, which is a very interesting phenomenon. I think there are reasons for why the views cluster together other than the simplest explanation that these views are all correct! ”
90% of the time I agree with this assessment, but I suspect that there is a subtler selection-bias amongst the members determining the remaining 10%; there have been some suggestions in research literature that a biological basis for morality influences whether somebody becomes Liberal or Conservative (that awfully reported study from a year ago, for instance). LW and OB tend to attract those who are comfortable in an Academic environment, and (for instance) I’ve observed that University graduates tend to underestimate the utility of violence.
There are probably a number of other traits that are positively correlated to Academics, but not necessarily to intelligence; unfortunately the nature of our discourse here usually bores people in, for instance, SpecOps*, the Arts, Engineering, and other fields known for requiring intelligence; this bias would be worth keeping in mind, but I don’t see that LW could be ‘fixed’ to become more user friendly.
*Average IQ of SpecOps soldiers is 120-140.
About what exactly??
Do most people here identify as nominalists (about most abstract objects)?
I don’t think that my ‘platonian’ beliefs are on-topic here on Less Wrong, but since they seem to form the foundation/substrate of my beliefs they leak through sometimes. (For whoever is down-voting me, I agree it was unwise of me to link to those old comments...)
Really? Understanding and clarifying the concepts and categories we use to organize our beliefs seems pretty damn on topic compared cryonics, personal identity and creating a billion dollars out of nothing.
Not to mention I’m pretty sure nominalism is wrong/bad so I’d really like to know if all the smart people here disagree with me. And if indeed we find overlapping views here we might find that a particular ‘metaphysical’ view (terrible term) is more conducive to thinking rationally, which would be interesting.
Data point: I think I’m what’s called a conceptualist.
I believe exactly this.