John, most people on LW already know this,
No Eliezer you are quite wrong, most people on LE do NOT know that.
better than you do if you're still talking about "different atoms".
I debated with myself before using the term “different atoms” when the scientific method is entirely unable to determine if they are really “different” or not, in the end I decided to be generous; even assuming that the atoms were in some obscure very mystical sense “different” would the resulting being be you? Nearly every person on planet Earth would say no, probably even you; but I say yes because I believe the idea behind and not just the word “soul” is BULLSHIT. Almost nobody agrees with me about that, I’m right nevertheless.
John, you have a lot of reading to catch up on before you start preaching to the choir. I know you're an old hand in the transhumanist community, but if you haven't been following along on Overcoming Bias, you're not competent to debate with this crowd. Most people on Less Wrong do know that identity doesn't follow atoms, because this issue was discussed at great length on Overcoming Bias and resolved. So far as we're concerned, your pet battle is over, your side won. You can stop fighting now, at least here.
Things like this are the reason I was reluct...
What do you believe that most people on this site don't?
I'm especially looking for things that you wouldn't even mention if someone wasn't explicitly asking for them. Stuff you're not even comfortable writing under your own name. Making a one-shot account here is very easy, go ahead and do that if you don't want to tarnish your image.
I think a big problem with a "community" dedicated to being less wrong is that it will make people more concerned about APPEARING less wrong. The biggest part of my intellectual journey so far has been the acquisition of new and startling knowledge, and that knowledge doesn't seem likely to turn up here in the conditions that currently exist.
So please, tell me the crazy things you're otherwise afraid to say. I want to know them, because they might be true.