You may not be able to make a horse drink, but you can still lead it to water rather than merely point out it’s thirsty. Teaching is a thing that people do with demonstrated beneficial results across a wide range of topics. Why would this be an exception?
I think you overestimate the extent to which many LW users comment to help others understand things, as opposed to (say) gain social status at their expense.
Be careful when defining the winner as someone other than the one currently sitting on a mound of utility.
Most lesswrong users at least profess to want to be above social status games, so calling people out on it increases expected comment quality and personal social status/karma, at least a little.
In the analogy, water represents the point of the quote (possibly as applied to CEV). You’re saying there is no point. I don’t understand what you’re trying to say in a way that is meaningful, but I won’t bother asking because ‘you can’t do my thinking for me’.
You may not be able to make a horse drink, but you can still lead it to water rather than merely point out it’s thirsty. Teaching is a thing that people do with demonstrated beneficial results across a wide range of topics. Why would this be an exception?
I think you overestimate the extent to which many LW users comment to help others understand things, as opposed to (say) gain social status at their expense.
Be careful when defining the winner as someone other than the one currently sitting on a mound of utility.
Most lesswrong users at least profess to want to be above social status games, so calling people out on it increases expected comment quality and personal social status/karma, at least a little.
Unfortunately, professing something does not make it true any more than putting a sign saying “Cold” on a refrigerator that isn’t plugged in will make it cold.
I’m not pointing out it’s thirsty, I’m pointing out there is no water where it thinks to drink.
In the analogy, water represents the point of the quote (possibly as applied to CEV). You’re saying there is no point. I don’t understand what you’re trying to say in a way that is meaningful, but I won’t bother asking because ‘you can’t do my thinking for me’.
Edit: fiiiine, what do you mean?