topynate comments on Rationality Quotes: December 2010 - Less Wrong

6 Post author: Tiiba 03 December 2010 03:23AM

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Comment author: topynate 03 December 2010 06:20:06AM * 11 points [-]

"Empty arguments with words cannot (in any way) compare with a test which will show practical results."

Ma Jun, inventor or reinventor of the South Pointing Chariot and the differential gear.

Comment author: AlanCrowe 03 December 2010 03:17:01PM 10 points [-]

The word empty spoils the quotation. The point is that

Powerful arguments with words cannot compete with a test which will show practical results

Good arguments with words that lose to a test which shows practical results are reduced thereby to empty arguments.

Comment author: Tesseract 03 December 2010 04:41:18PM 4 points [-]

I read it as

Arguments with words are inherently empty, and therefore cannot compare with a test which will show practical results.