KEATS: Explanations of gnomes and rainbows take away the sense of wonder they give me.
YUDKOWSKY: Gnomes aren’t real.
KEATS: You don’t say.
YUDKOWSKY: We should get a sense of wonder from accurate explanations.
KEATS: Speak for yourself.
As a general point about reductionism the essay may stand up well. As criticism of that poem, not so much. I for one enjoy both magical and “merely real” explanations, and see no contradiction in that. The sort of ideas people enjoy are a matter of taste.
KEATS: Explanations of gnomes and rainbows take away the sense of wonder they give me.
YUDKOWSKY: Gnomes aren’t real.
KEATS: You don’t say.
YUDKOWSKY: We should get a sense of wonder from accurate explanations.
KEATS: Speak for yourself.
As a general point about reductionism the essay may stand up well. As criticism of that poem, not so much. I for one enjoy both magical and “merely real” explanations, and see no contradiction in that. The sort of ideas people enjoy are a matter of taste.