Robin's saying "the expected value of your reading (something like) a classic is higher than the expected value of equivalent time spent reading (something like) my blog".

He isn't saying "you need to read the classics (and nothing else will do)", in spite of what the title says. You sound as if you're reacting to the title only - and an idiosyncratic reading of it at that.

No, I think I addressed the broader point he was making, not just the title: He's saying, don't just rely on blog posts and blog comment exchanges -- actually read the classic works. This would imply that these blog discussions suffer from lack of appreciation of certain classics that imparted Serious knowledge.

I disputed this diagnosis of the problem. The phenomenon Robin_Hanson describes is more due to experts not understanding their own topics, and not communicating the fruits of these classics. The proper response to this, I contend, is not to wade through classics, hoping to be able to sort the good from the bad. Rather, it's for those who are aware of the classics' insights to understand and present them where applicable.

In other words, not to do what Gene Callahan does in the (corrected) link.

This is why I challenged Robin_Hanson to say what he's doing about it: if people really are stumbling along, unaware of some classic writer's insight on the matter, a work that just completely enlightens and clarifies the debate, what is he doing to make sure these insights are applied to the relevant issue? That is how you establish the worth of classics, by repeated ability to obviate debates that people get into when they aren't familiar with them.

It's true that in reading works that draw from the classics, you have to separate the good from the bad, but you have to do that anyway -- and classics will typically have a lot of bad with the good.

If classics are higher up on the hierarchy, it is specific classics that are known for being completely good, or for because their bad part is known and articulated to the learner in advance. But that requires advising of specific classics, not telling someone to read classics in general.

Keep in mind, you were my example of someone failing to learn the best arguments against gay rights, despite a sincere effort to find them. The experts either didn't understand the arguments, or weren't able to apply them in discussions. How many (additional!) classics would you need to have read to be enlightened about this?