Maybe very few irrational ideas are a “serious threat to The Cathedral”, in which case you just admitted that academia cannot “proselytise it’s output”. What about antivax? Global warming denial? Theism? Anti-nuclear-power irrationality? Crazy, ill-thought-through and knee jerk anticapitalism of the OWS variety? So many popular irrational beliefs...
At the very least crazy ill-thought through knee jerk anticapitalism and anti-nuclear-power irrationality often are “the output of academia”. I mean you can take classes in them and everything. ;)
Sure one can cherry pick and say that only this and that part of academia is or isn’t trustworthy and deserves or dosen’t our promotion of its output, but hey that was my position remember?
What about antivax? Global warming denial? Theism?
Antivaxers irrationality is just garden variety health related craziness which is regrettable since it costs lives but springs up constantly in new forms. Its cost is actually currently pretty low compared to others.
Global warming or at least talking vaguely about “global warming denial” is considered somewhat mind-killing on LW. Also much as with MM I suggest you do a search and read up and participate in previous debates. My personal position is that it is happening yet spending additional marginal effort on solving it or getting people to solve it has negative net utility. Suggest you read up on optimal philanthropy and efficient charity to get a better feeling of what I mean by this.
Theism, meh, I used to think this was an especially dangerous kind of crazy, yet now I think it is mostly relatively harmless compared to other craziness at least in the context of Western cultures. When happy new atheists first stumble upon LW I sometimes find myself in the awkward position of smiling nervously and then trying to explain that we now have to deal with real problems of irrationality. Like society rationalizing death and ageing as something good or ignoring existential risk.
At the very least crazy ill-thought through knee jerk anticapitalism and anti-nuclear-power irrationality often are “the output of academia”. I mean you can take classes in them and everything. ;)
Sure one can cherry pick and say that only this and that part of academia is or isn’t trustworthy and deserves or dosen’t our promotion of its output, but hey that was my position remember?
Antivaxers irrationality is just garden variety health related craziness which is regrettable since it costs lives but springs up constantly in new forms. Its cost is actually currently pretty low compared to others.
Global warming or at least talking vaguely about “global warming denial” is considered somewhat mind-killing on LW. Also much as with MM I suggest you do a search and read up and participate in previous debates. My personal position is that it is happening yet spending additional marginal effort on solving it or getting people to solve it has negative net utility. Suggest you read up on optimal philanthropy and efficient charity to get a better feeling of what I mean by this.
Theism, meh, I used to think this was an especially dangerous kind of crazy, yet now I think it is mostly relatively harmless compared to other craziness at least in the context of Western cultures. When happy new atheists first stumble upon LW I sometimes find myself in the awkward position of smiling nervously and then trying to explain that we now have to deal with real problems of irrationality. Like society rationalizing death and ageing as something good or ignoring existential risk.