- 7 weeks ago, I precommitted that censoring a post or comment on LessWrong would cause a 0.0001% increase in existential risk.
- Earlier today, Yudkowsky censored a post on less wrong
- 20 minutes later, existential risks increased 0.0001% (to the best of my estimation).
Though, I can see a strong argument for "blow up whenever your rights are threatened," especially if you expect that you will only be able to raise awareness, not effect change. It also means those of us who internalized the sequences have our evaporative cooling alarms triggering. Is disagreeing with the existence of Langford basilisks, and caring enough to make a stink about it instead of just scoff, really enough to show someone the door?
It's true that the basilisk in question is a wild fantasy even by Singularitarian standards, and that people took it seriously enough to get upset about it, could well be considered cause for alarm.
But that's not why people are telling waitingforgodel they'd rather he left. People are telling him that because he took action he sincerely (perhaps wrongly, but sincerely) believed would reduce humanity's chances of survival. That's a lot crazier than believing in basilisks!
And the pity is, it's not true he couldn't effect change. The right thing to do in a sc... (read more)