FormallyknownasRoko comments on Best career models for doing research? - Less Wrong

27 Post author: Kaj_Sotala 07 December 2010 04:25PM

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Comment author: FormallyknownasRoko 08 December 2010 06:10:38PM 0 points [-]

Context was discussing hypothetical sacrifices one would make for utilitarian humanitarian gain, not just from one but from several different conversations.

Comment author: wedrifid 08 December 2010 07:16:32PM 2 points [-]

They actually had multiple conversations about hypothetical sacrifices they would make for utilitarian humanitarian gain? That's... adorable!

Comment author: waitingforgodel 09 December 2010 02:59:10AM 4 points [-]

Care to share a more concrete context?

Comment author: FormallyknownasRoko 09 December 2010 12:25:24PM *  1 point [-]

That is the context in as concrete a way as is possible - discussing what people would really be prepared to sacrifice, versus making signallingly-useful statements. I responded that I wasn't even prepared to say that I would make {sacrifice=rape, being tortured, forgoing many years of good life, being humiliated etc}.

Comment author: waitingforgodel 09 December 2010 03:56:36PM 4 points [-]

Okay, you can leave it abstract. Here's what I was hoping to have explained: why were you discussing what people would really be prepared to sacrifice?

... and not just the surface level of "just for fun," but also considering how these "just for fun" games get started, and what they do to enforce cohesion in a group.

Comment author: David_Gerard 09 December 2010 03:59:03PM *  4 points [-]

... and not just the surface level of "just for fun," but also considering how these "just for fun" games get started, and what they do to enforce cohesion in a group.

Big +1. Every cause wants to be a cult. Every individual (or, realistically, as many as possible) must know how to resist this for a group with big goals not to go off the rails.

Comment author: FormallyknownasRoko 09 December 2010 06:28:58PM 1 point [-]

why were you discussing what people would really be prepared to sacrifice?

The context was the distinction between signalling-related speech acts and real values.