I think this is an example of what that sort of update looks like. Michael isn’t banned from LessWrong
Interesting that you should mention this. I’ve hugely benefited from collaborating with Michael recently. I think the linked comment is terrible, and I’ve argued with Anna about it several times. I had started drafting a public reply several months ago, but I had set it aside because (a) it’s incredibly emotionally painful to write because I simultaneously owe eternal life-debts of eternal loyalty to both Michael and Anna,[1] and (b) it isn’t even the most important incredibly-emotionally-painful high-community-drama-content piece of writing I have to do. The fact that you seem to take it this seriously suggests that I should prioritize finishing and posting my reply, though I must ask for your patience due to (b).
Like a robot in an Isaac Asimov story forced to choose between injuring a human being or, through inaction, allowing a human being to come to harm, I briefly worried that my behavior isn’t even well-defined in the event of a Michael–Anna conflict. (For the same reason, I assume it’s impossible to take more than one Unbreakable Vow in the world of Harry Potter and the Methods.) Then I remembered that disagreeing with someone’s blog comment isn’t an expression of disloyalty. If I were to write a terrible blog comment (and I’ve written many), then I should be grateful if Anna were to take the time to explain what she thinks I got wrong.
Interesting that you should mention this. I’ve hugely benefited from collaborating with Michael recently. I think the linked comment is terrible, and I’ve argued with Anna about it several times. I had started drafting a public reply several months ago, but I had set it aside because (a) it’s incredibly emotionally painful to write because I simultaneously owe eternal life-debts of eternal loyalty to both Michael and Anna,[1] and (b) it isn’t even the most important incredibly-emotionally-painful high-community-drama-content piece of writing I have to do. The fact that you seem to take it this seriously suggests that I should prioritize finishing and posting my reply, though I must ask for your patience due to (b).
Like a robot in an Isaac Asimov story forced to choose between injuring a human being or, through inaction, allowing a human being to come to harm, I briefly worried that my behavior isn’t even well-defined in the event of a Michael–Anna conflict. (For the same reason, I assume it’s impossible to take more than one Unbreakable Vow in the world of Harry Potter and the Methods.) Then I remembered that disagreeing with someone’s blog comment isn’t an expression of disloyalty. If I were to write a terrible blog comment (and I’ve written many), then I should be grateful if Anna were to take the time to explain what she thinks I got wrong.