grobstein comments on Less Wrong NYC: Case Study of a Successful Rationalist Chapter - Less Wrong

137 Post author: Cosmos 17 March 2011 08:12PM

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Comment author: Vladimir_M 19 March 2011 12:35:49AM *  5 points [-]

If Eliezer's example isn't clear enough, here's another one.

"I'm worried about X."

Non-rationalist: "I've told you a million times, that's not gonna happen! Why can't you trust me?"

Rationalist: "Ok, let's go to Wikipedia, get some stats, and do the expected value calculation. Let me show you how unlikely this is."

Just curious: what would be a concrete example of an X that would provide for a realistic exchange that fits this pattern?

Comment author: FAWS 19 March 2011 12:47:13AM *  14 points [-]

World-destroying black hole caused by LHC. Autism through vaccination. Cancer from low intensity radio waves (i.e. a cell phone rather than a radar station). A meteorite hitting your house. A plane crashing into your house if you don't live in a landing vector of an airport. Terrorists capturing the plane you are on if you fly rarely.

Comment author: grobstein 24 March 2011 08:48:09PM 3 points [-]

Which of these is a major stressor on romantic relationships?

Comment author: Cyan 24 March 2011 09:06:43PM 2 points [-]

Not that it's happened to me, but I can easily see "autism through vaccination" fitting into the scenario.

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