The Overton window concept describes a process of social-pressure mind control, not rational deliberation: an idea is said to be “outside the Overton window” not on account of its being wrong, but on account of its being unacceptably unpopular. If a mathematician were to describe a debate with their colleagues about mathematics (as opposed to some dumb non-math thing like tenure or teaching duties) as an “Overton-window fight”, I would be pretty worried about the culture of that mathematics department, wouldn’t you?!
I think it’s ominous if Raemon used the word with that intended meaning, but I’m guessing he didn’t (and most people around here don’t?). When I think “Overton window”, I just think “what is considered reasonable to discuss without it being regarded as weird or extreme or requiring extreme evidence to overcome a very low prior” and think of the term being agnostic to how it got decided. In this sense, our community has an Overton window that definitely includes physics and history, presently really excludes Reiki and astrology, and perhaps has meditation/IFS on the border. I think overall the process by which we’ve ended up with this window has been much better than what most of broader society uses.
My understanding of Ray’s comments about “concentrating Overton window fights” was that just now was a period when we’d more than usual communally debate (using the correct and normative laws of reasoning) ideas which we’re as yet still contentious with the community and increasing consensus of whether they were good or not– based on their epistemic merits.
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It’s a separate question about what best way to use the term “Overton window” is and upon which I don’t have a strong opinion at present.
This is roughly how I intended it. But, it’s not a coincidence that the word has the history that it does, and did seem worth reflecting on at least briefly.
I think it’s ominous if Raemon used the word with that intended meaning, but I’m guessing he didn’t (and most people around here don’t?). When I think “Overton window”, I just think “what is considered reasonable to discuss without it being regarded as weird or extreme or requiring extreme evidence to overcome a very low prior” and think of the term being agnostic to how it got decided. In this sense, our community has an Overton window that definitely includes physics and history, presently really excludes Reiki and astrology, and perhaps has meditation/IFS on the border. I think overall the process by which we’ve ended up with this window has been much better than what most of broader society uses.
My understanding of Ray’s comments about “concentrating Overton window fights” was that just now was a period when we’d more than usual communally debate (using the correct and normative laws of reasoning) ideas which we’re as yet still contentious with the community and increasing consensus of whether they were good or not– based on their epistemic merits.
...
It’s a separate question about what best way to use the term “Overton window” is and upon which I don’t have a strong opinion at present.
This is roughly how I intended it. But, it’s not a coincidence that the word has the history that it does, and did seem worth reflecting on at least briefly.