shend comments on Book Club Update and Chapter 1 - Less Wrong

15 Post author: Morendil 15 June 2010 12:30AM

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Comment author: [deleted] 13 October 2011 05:05:33PM 2 points [-]

I wish Lesswrong had an online book discussion section. How come we only analyze HPMoR in depth?

Comment author: gwern 13 October 2011 10:32:22PM 2 points [-]

Because only MoR is addictive enough to keep people reading and fannishly discussing it. There have been attempts to read/blog through many relevant texts like Jaynes or Dennett's Freedom Evolves, but inevitably, people lack the Conscientiousness to finish them. (There is a lesson here for academics: propaganda works.)

Comment author: [deleted] 14 October 2011 01:30:50AM 0 points [-]

Perhaps MoR is addictive while other works are ... drier. So? What about the students who have to finish texts whether they like it or not because they are in an academic setting? What about the people that don't mind dry reading, as long as it is intellectual? I'm just saying that there should be an opportunity to do it, at least. I analyze scientific papers in journal clubs with other scientists. I enjoy it, because in the end you're gonna have a good discussion anyway.

Comment author: gwern 14 October 2011 01:40:56AM 0 points [-]

Perhaps MoR is addictive while other works are ... drier. So?

So

What about the students who have to finish texts whether they like it or not because they are in an academic setting?

/looks around, sees no grades depending on people reading Jaynes & not quietly procrastinating on reading Jaynes

What about the people that don't mind dry reading, as long as it is intellectual?

Rara avis, indeed. Apparently there aren't many of you on LW, or else all the past attempts would do better...

I analyze scientific papers in journal clubs with other scientists. I enjoy it, because in the end you're gonna have a good discussion anyway.

Synchronous discussions in person are quite different from asynchronous online attempts to do so.