thomblake comments on You Are Likely To Be Eaten By A Grue - Less Wrong

46 Post author: Alicorn 17 March 2010 01:18AM

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Comment author: thomblake 17 March 2010 01:06:25PM 4 points [-]

I like this post, but it feels like it's missing something to motivate the clever title. You didn't seem to identify a "grue" (presumably, some horrible consequence from not being luminous), which doesn't seem terribly difficult to do in this case. Perhaps it doesn't belong in this post, but surely the title demands one.

Also, is "luminous" a modifier for beliefs, people, or both? Should there be two different words? Did I miss that discussion along the way?

Comment author: RobinZ 17 March 2010 02:04:05PM 11 points [-]

The title seemed obvious to me: lacking luminosity you lack light, and, as the immortal text adventure Zork so memorably told us, when...

It is pitch black. You are likely to be eaten by a grue.

The implication is pretty clearly that you ought to pay attention to this problem.

Comment deleted 17 March 2010 03:51:58PM [-]
Comment author: FAWS 17 March 2010 03:54:44PM *  4 points [-]

You are walking around without a light source. Unless you change that you are (in actuality) likely to be eaten by a grue. What exactly a grue is is (at least in some versions?) unspecified.

Comment author: AdeleneDawner 17 March 2010 03:58:17PM *  3 points [-]
Comment author: Alicorn 17 March 2010 05:25:47PM 0 points [-]

is "luminous" a modifier for beliefs, people, or both?

Both - it's just easier that way. A luminous person has lots of luminous brain-items (not necessarily just beliefs); a luminous brain-item is known to the person who has it, even if they're not generally very luminous.

Comment author: wedrifid 17 March 2010 01:26:07PM 0 points [-]

I like this post, but it feels like it's missing something to motivate the clever title.

It feels like the title could have been saved for a follow up post. Such a waste!