AspiringRationalist comments on Talking Snakes: A Cautionary Tale - Less Wrong
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Comments (226)
This suggests an improved absurdity heuristic: if somebody expresses a belief that seems absurd, first check whether they actually believe what you think they do. It might not be as absurd once you know what they actually believe.
They might really believe in a literal talking snake, but have you really lost much by giving the (temporary) benefit of the doubt?