nerzhin comments on Dark Arts 101: Using presuppositions - Less Wrong

65 Post author: PhilGoetz 27 December 2010 05:16PM

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Comment author: nerzhin 30 December 2010 06:55:03PM 4 points [-]

Using dark arts against people increases the chance they will seek out rationality training

Also, beating up my son makes him tougher so that he can handle himself better in a dangerous neighborhood.

Scamming investors out of their savings makes them smarter and more discerning. They have to learn the lesson sometime, might as well be from me.

Stealing from the local 7-Eleven makes them improve their security. I'm really doing them a favor.

Comment author: shokwave 31 December 2010 12:11:10AM 0 points [-]

Also, beating up my son makes him tougher so that he can handle himself better in a dangerous neighborhood.

Not applicable. I said

Probably does not increase the chance enough to justify using it outside of zero-sum games though.

So if your son picks a fight with you ... beating him up makes him tougher.

Comment author: bcoburn 30 December 2010 08:52:31PM 0 points [-]

Voted down because this is a really bad way to make a point.

On the other hand, the basic point is a good one: "they'll learn from it" is not in general a good reason for doing things that hurt people in whatever sense.

Comment author: shokwave 31 December 2010 12:12:23AM *  1 point [-]

"they'll learn from it" is not in general a good reason for doing things that hurt people in whatever sense.

"They'll learn from it" is most definitely a good reason for doing things that hurt people in the specific case of people trying to hurt you (and learning not to). That is why I specified zero-sum games above.