mattnewport comments on Less Wrong Should Confront Wrongness Wherever it Appears - Less Wrong

24 Post author: jimrandomh 21 September 2010 01:40AM

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Comment author: mattnewport 23 September 2010 07:48:49PM *  0 points [-]

Oh, absolutely, I'm not disputing that the debt can theoretically be paid off in full - that's exactly what I mean when I say it's not really a problem that the accounting figure is negative. If that wasn't the case we'd be in in real trouble. The idea that cash needs to match the face value of debt is a confusion in a debt based economy like ours.

Comment author: SilasBarta 23 September 2010 07:51:00PM 0 points [-]

Understood. So do you agree Crono really is asking two very separate questions, even though it may seem like they're the same?

Comment author: mattnewport 23 September 2010 07:53:42PM 0 points [-]

To be honest it didn't even occur to me that he'd confuse those two issues but I'd agree that it looks like he may have done. It did puzzle me when I first saw the question why Robin Hanson wouldn't have just said 'negative'.