timtyler comments on Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality discussion thread, part 4 - Less Wrong

3 Post author: gjm 07 October 2010 09:12PM

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Comment author: timtyler 02 November 2010 09:03:25AM 5 points [-]

It surely is an unsympatthetic reading to conclude from: "What if some of our cognitive biases are evolved adaptations that make human society work better?" - that those adaptations did not also benefit social human individuals, and may have evolved for that purpose.

Comment author: wedrifid 02 November 2010 11:03:58AM -1 points [-]

You may note that I took care to emphasize that my reply was to what you were conveying in the context. Phil's comment does postulate group selection. While as a standalone sentence your comment is literally correct I downvoted it because it constitutes either a misunderstanding of the conversation or a flawed argument for an incorrect position.

Comment author: PhilGoetz 03 November 2010 04:12:15AM *  -1 points [-]

What is the incorrect position? If you say "that group selection is possible", please state your reasons for being so certain about it.

In any case, my comment does not postulate group selection. It wasn't even on my mind when I wrote it.

Comment author: wedrifid 03 November 2010 03:11:19PM *  1 point [-]

If you say "that group selection is possible",

I do not. That would be a bizarre position to take (or assume, for that matter). I elsewhere indicated my appreciation for your post on the subject, with particular emphasis on an example you gave where group selection does apply. My support does not extend to the position your comment here conveys and I instead (obviously) repeat Eliezer's objection.

(Equally obviously there is nothing to be gained by continuing this conversation. It is based on nothing more than what meaning some unimportant comments convey and whether or not people have cause to accede to your demand (implied request?) to up-vote Tim.)

Comment author: timtyler 03 November 2010 07:18:18AM -1 points [-]

Thanks for clarifying that. Not just an unsympathetic interpretation, an innacurate one.