AngryParsley comments on I'm Not Saying People Are Stupid - Less Wrong

38 Post author: Eliezer_Yudkowsky 09 October 2009 04:23PM

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Comment author: gwern 09 October 2009 05:18:52PM *  3 points [-]

If you aren't saying that most people are systematically stupid, then what are you saying? That most people are smart, but they have just a few little issues which if fixed would turn them into Eliezers?

EDIT: saying "I'm saying they're crazy" really doesn't help much. Can you give an example of someone smart, but 'crazy' in a way which doesn't involve 'just a few little issues'? not reaching the right answers = stupid to me, regardless of whether it's because someone has a brain tumor, has too few myelinated neurons, is on drugs, or was brought up to believe the Flying Spaghetti Monster decreed the right answer to be something else.

Comment author: AngryParsley 09 October 2009 05:33:56PM 5 points [-]

He's saying most people are crazy. I'm inclined to agree.

Comment author: Christian_Szegedy 10 October 2009 02:33:01AM *  1 point [-]

I would agree, even to the extent of saying that all people are totally nuts.

Especially if von Neumann is labeled crazy for believing in the Copenhagen interpretation of QM...

Or maybe he did not really believe it but while being a demigod, had made a detailed study of humans and decided that in order to fully imitate humanness he had to imitate a bit of craziness as well.