knb 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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Tags: madness low_standards failed_earth antitheism

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Comment author: CannibalSmith 10 October 2009 03:23:33PM 0 points [-]

To what can we compare human beings?

To self.

Comment author: knb 10 October 2009 05:04:04PM *  -1 points [-]

So essentially Eliezer is saying:

"The average sanity of humanity is less than the sanity of at least one of its component organisms."

Which reduces to:

"I am less crazy than the average human."

How is this useful?!?

Comment author: MichaelGR 11 October 2009 05:07:05PM 3 points [-]

Most people don't know they have all these cognitive biases. Telling them that they do is a good first step toward improvement (at least in some).

Comment author: jscn 12 October 2009 04:40:52AM 1 point [-]

Huh, I thought there was a fair bit of evidence around showing that people perform basically just as badly on tests which exploit cognitive biases after being told about them as they do in a state of ignorance.

Comment author: MichaelGR 12 October 2009 04:13:32PM 2 points [-]

Indeed. That's why it is just "a first step". Telling them is not enough, but you've got to start there.

Comment author: Nick_Tarleton 11 October 2009 12:17:36AM *  0 points [-]

It suggests that:

  • There might be other such people.
  • You might be one of them...
  • ...or, if not, become one.
  • Humanity as a whole could do better.
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