Vladimir_M comments on Open Thread June 2010, Part 4 - Less Wrong

5 Post author: Will_Newsome 19 June 2010 04:34AM

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Comment author: Vladimir_M 20 June 2010 09:37:25AM *  4 points [-]

Mass_Driver:

I'm extremely curious to hear both your list and JoshuaZ's list of the top 20 or so most harmful delusions.

I'm not sure if that would be a smart move, since it would mean an extremely high concentration of unsupported controversial claims in a single post. Many of my opinions on these matters would require non-obvious lengthy justifications, and just dumping them into a list would likely leave most readers scratching their heads. If you're really curious, you can read the comment threads I've participated in for a sample, in particular those in which I argue against beliefs that aren't specific to my interlocutors.

Also, it should be noted that the exact composition of the list would depend on the granularity of individual entries. If each entry covered a relatively wide class of beliefs, creationism might find itself among the top fifty (though probably nowhere near the top ten).

Comment author: wedrifid 20 June 2010 10:01:49AM *  5 points [-]

I'm not sure if that would be a smart move, since it would mean an extremely high concentration of unsupported controversial claims in a single post.

In this format that sounds like a good thing! At worst it would spark curiosity and provoke discussion. At best people would encounter a startling opinion that they had never seriously considered, think about for 60 seconds then form an understanding that either agrees with yours or disagrees, for a considered reason.

Comment author: h-H 20 June 2010 12:35:23PM *  1 point [-]

seconded, but a list of 20 seems too long/too much work, no?

Comment author: wedrifid 20 June 2010 12:48:29PM 1 point [-]

I'd be thinking 5. :)