This method of debiasing seems to set as its goal to have no emotional reaction to people at all. Welcome, straw Vulcans :-/
Your argumentation is based on rationalist memes, not analysis. I’m claiming that disliking a whole person is useless and harmful to epistemic accuracy; I do not make this claim about any part, or particular thing about this person. Applying your negative emotion to the whole person is just what it sounds like—using the affect heuristic as a substitute for more detailed and psychologically realistic thinking.
Would you like to provide some, um, analysis as to why do you believe this to be true?
I can; but more efficiently, I need you to realize a few things about our communication.
First, I would need an enormous amount of writing to make make my current beliefs clear and making sense in context.
So far this discussion is based on me saying something, and you voicing every issue about it that comes to your mind.
So far so good, that’s how you always do it on LW, right?
Only, this doesn’t work if there’s a big inferential distance.
See, in case of a big inferential distance between us, your questions and the doubts you have sound perfectly reasonable to you, I’m sure.
However your doubts hit very far from the actual core of the problem—and seeing them just makes me feel tired.
I see that to explain anything well, I’d need to start with the basics, and force you to think about certain topics in order of ascending difficulty, make sure I dissolve your doubts and answer all questions at each step and so on.
Which is to say, I don’t have the energy to go through this long and tedious process, and if you are at all interested in what I’m trying to say here, I need you to ask better questions.
In particular, if it’s visible from your questions that you actually gave these topics some thought, and you are willing to explore them for other reasons that arguing with me; then I’m happy to cooperate with you, and work together to form more accurate beliefs and efficient policies.
So far, I see none of that; and no sign that you think longer than it takes you to type the comment.
Generally, and I hope here you are not too prideful to react badly to this, I think you might be harming yourself with your ability to argue and see problems with the opinions of others. I think that yes, writing lots of comments on LW can teach you something; but it also teaches you many harmful habits, such as the argue first—think later approach, which I deem harmful to long-term progress.
Only, this doesn’t work if there’s a big inferential distance.
True. A great deal of things don’t work if there’s big inferential distance.
In particular, if it’s visible from your questions that you actually gave these topics some thought, and you are willing to explore them for other reasons that arguing with me; then I’m happy to cooperate with you, and work together to form more accurate beliefs and efficient policies.
I’m sorry, I’m not interested in master-disciple relationships.
I think you might be harming yourself with your ability to argue and see problems with the opinions of others.
What kind of harm do you have in mind?
but it also teaches you many harmful habits
I don’t know about many, but yes, arguing on teh internets is perilous. I freely admit to suffering from the curse of the gifted, but I doubt that changing my conversation habits on an internet forum is the right way to address it.
I am aware that my habits shape me and that masks have a tendency to grow into one’s face. I consider the risks of snarking around on LW… acceptable.
Your argumentation is based on rationalist memes, not analysis. I’m claiming that disliking a whole person is useless and harmful to epistemic accuracy; I do not make this claim about any part, or particular thing about this person. Applying your negative emotion to the whole person is just what it sounds like—using the affect heuristic as a substitute for more detailed and psychologically realistic thinking.
Would you like to provide some, um, analysis as to why do you believe this to be true?
Also, when you say “useless”, useless for which purpose? And does me disliking, say, broccoli, is “useless and harmful” as well?
I can; but more efficiently, I need you to realize a few things about our communication.
First, I would need an enormous amount of writing to make make my current beliefs clear and making sense in context.
So far this discussion is based on me saying something, and you voicing every issue about it that comes to your mind.
So far so good, that’s how you always do it on LW, right?
Only, this doesn’t work if there’s a big inferential distance.
See, in case of a big inferential distance between us, your questions and the doubts you have sound perfectly reasonable to you, I’m sure.
However your doubts hit very far from the actual core of the problem—and seeing them just makes me feel tired.
I see that to explain anything well, I’d need to start with the basics, and force you to think about certain topics in order of ascending difficulty, make sure I dissolve your doubts and answer all questions at each step and so on.
Which is to say, I don’t have the energy to go through this long and tedious process, and if you are at all interested in what I’m trying to say here, I need you to ask better questions.
In particular, if it’s visible from your questions that you actually gave these topics some thought, and you are willing to explore them for other reasons that arguing with me; then I’m happy to cooperate with you, and work together to form more accurate beliefs and efficient policies.
So far, I see none of that; and no sign that you think longer than it takes you to type the comment.
Generally, and I hope here you are not too prideful to react badly to this, I think you might be harming yourself with your ability to argue and see problems with the opinions of others. I think that yes, writing lots of comments on LW can teach you something; but it also teaches you many harmful habits, such as the argue first—think later approach, which I deem harmful to long-term progress.
True. A great deal of things don’t work if there’s big inferential distance.
I’m sorry, I’m not interested in master-disciple relationships.
What kind of harm do you have in mind?
I don’t know about many, but yes, arguing on teh internets is perilous. I freely admit to suffering from the curse of the gifted, but I doubt that changing my conversation habits on an internet forum is the right way to address it.
I am aware that my habits shape me and that masks have a tendency to grow into one’s face. I consider the risks of snarking around on LW… acceptable.