wedrifid comments on A Rational Education - Less Wrong

12 Post author: wedrifid 23 June 2010 05:48AM

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Comment author: MichaelVassar 25 June 2010 12:52:39AM 14 points [-]

The Dark Arts only look dark from the outside. Reality is more complicated, predictably less black and white. Also, the main defense against dark arts IS dark arts. Also, there's little virtue in not using abilities you don't have on moral grounds. Finally, we all have a lot of psychology here, but acting out behaviors you don't understand will help you to understand them.

Very seriously, those who relinquish the known dark arts will invent their own path to the abyss, a path without the protective guard-rails and warning signs worked out by billions of predecessors. We're much better in this crowd at overcoming the surface manifestations of self-deception promoting processes than we are at resisting self-deception. We end up self-deceiving in unusual ways, but predictable ways for someone who has met enough rationalists.

Comment author: wedrifid 25 June 2010 03:21:49AM *  4 points [-]

I wouldn't say dancing, yoga or acting classes qualify for the 'dark arts' title. If I want to see the dark arts I'll study debating, law or PR.

Also, the main defense against dark arts IS dark arts.

What gets even more interesting is that the most powerful counters to dark arts are not dark arts but are what will usually be described as 'evil' (things like murder, for example).