endoself comments on Plant Seeds of Rationality - Less Wrong

33 Post author: lukeprog 10 March 2011 05:51PM

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Comment author: endoself 10 March 2011 11:42:48PM 1 point [-]

Nobody I know appreciates being shown flaws in their own arguments, but if you advocate that we should stop using fireplaces on Christmas eve to protect Santa (for example), then sooner or later most people will come up with a good reason why your argument is irrational.

Is this an actual example you used? Who would bother rebutting it?

Comment author: rabidchicken 10 March 2011 11:52:02PM 2 points [-]

No, its a horrible example. I would try to be a more convincing under cover rationalist.

Comment author: endoself 10 March 2011 11:53:41PM 4 points [-]

What if you are accidentally too persuasive and you convince people of ridiculous things? Do you only use things that seem ridiculous but also seem like you could actually believe them?

Comment author: David_Gerard 11 March 2011 12:08:35AM *  2 points [-]

I ranted once at my fundie mother about how and why taking the Bible literally constituted deliberate misreading of it and that this was evidence of bad and unclear thinking and was therefore an error of religion. I'm not sure if she was convinced at all, but she's sure never brought up religion with me since. Note that I am in no way a Christian, in fact being completely atheist. I am still unsure if this constituted dark arts. I did, however, intend it to be a seed of the notion that joined-up thinking is not optional.

Comment author: rabidchicken 10 March 2011 11:58:31PM *  1 point [-]

I have considered the possibility of my strategy backfiring, so I try to choose something I know they would be (relatively) certain to not accept, which also has simple ways you can show it is irrational, and something I do not actually believe (so I do not need to go back and tell them why my original opinion was probably correct after all later on) The Santa clause example might work if you were joking with a friend, but if you are in a more serious situation, something which is less obviously a trap would work better.

So far, I have not knowingly convinced anyone I know to accept an insane idea, but it is still something to watch out for.