I am agnostic about various dragons. Sometimes I find myself wondering how I would express my dragon agnosticism in a world where belief in dragons was prevalent and high status. I am often disturbed by the result of this exercise. It turns out that what feels like agnosticism is often sneakily biased in favor of what will make me sound better or let me avoid arguments.
This effect is strong enough and frequent enough that I don’t think the agnosticism described by this post is a safe epistemic fallback for me. However, it might still be my best option in situations where I want to look good or avoid arguments.
I am agnostic about various dragons. Sometimes I find myself wondering how I would express my dragon agnosticism in a world where belief in dragons was prevalent and high status. I am often disturbed by the result of this exercise. It turns out that what feels like agnosticism is often sneakily biased in favor of what will make me sound better or let me avoid arguments.
This effect is strong enough and frequent enough that I don’t think the agnosticism described by this post is a safe epistemic fallback for me. However, it might still be my best option in situations where I want to look good or avoid arguments.
Possibly related:
Selective Reporting and the Tragedy of the Green Rationalists by Zack M Davis
Kolmogorov Complicity and the Parable of Lightning by Scott Alexander