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khafra comments on Intellectual Hipsters and Meta-Contrarianism - Less Wrong
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That was quite a rant!
I hope I don't come across as thinking "the worst" about those involved. I expect they are all very nice and sincere. By way of comparison, not all cults have deliberately exploitative ringleaders.
Really? Really? You actually think the level of DOOM is cold realism - and not a ploy to attract funding? Why do you think that? De Garis and Warwick were doing much the same kind of attention-seeking before the SIAI came along - DOOM is an old school of marketing in the field.
You encourage me to speculate about the motives of the individuals involved. While that might be fun, it doesn't seem to matter much - the SIAI itself is evidently behaving as though it wants dollars, attention, and manpower - to help it meet its aims.
FWIW, I don't see what I am saying as particularly "contrarian". A lot of people would be pretty sceptical about the end of the world being nigh - or the idea that a bug might take over the world - or the idea that a bunch of saintly programmers will be the ones to save us all. Maybe contrary to the ideas of the true believers - if that is what you mean.
Anyway, the basic point is that if you are interested in DOOM, or p(DOOM), consulting a DOOM-mongering organisation, that wants your dollars to help them SAVE THE WORLD may not be your best move. The "follow the money" principle is simple - and often produces good results.
Will said "meta-contrarian," which refers to the recent meta-contrarians are intellectual hipsters post.
I also think you see yourself as trying to help SIAI see how they look to "average joe" potential collaborators or contributors, while Will sees your criticisms as actually calling into question the motives, competence, and ingenuity of SIAI's staff. If I'm right, you're talking at cross-purposes.
Reforming the SIAI is a possibility - but not a terribly realistic one, IMO. So, my intended audience here is less that organisation, and more some of the individuals here who I share interests with.
Oh, that might be. Other comments by timtyler seemed really vague but generally anti-SIAI (I hate to set it up as if you could be for or against a set of related propositions in memespace, but it's natural to do here, meh), so I assumed he was expressing his own beliefs, and not a hypothetical average joe's.