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wedrifid comments on Desirable Dispositions and Rational Actions - Less Wrong
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In this light I can see where 'condescension' fits in. There is a difference between 'descending to be with' and just plain 'being way above'. For example we could label "they are wrong" as arrogant, "they are wrong but we can empathise with them and understand their mistake" as condescending and "They are wrong, that's the kind of person Nobel prizes go to these days?" as "contemptuous" - even though they all operate from the same "I consider myself above in this instance" premise. Wei's paragraph could then be considered to be transferring weight from arrogance and contempt into condescension.
(I still disapprove of Perplexed's implied criticism.)
Okay, I can see this distinction. I can see how, as a matter of social convention, "they are wrong but we should understand their mistake" could come across as more condescending than just "they are wrong". But I really don't like that convention. If an expert is wrong, we really do have an obligation to understand how that happened. Accepting that obligation shouldn't be stigmatized as condescending. (Not that you implied otherwise.)