curi comments on David Deutsch on How To Think About The Future - Less Wrong

4 Post author: curi 11 April 2011 07:08AM

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Comment author: Swimmer963 10 April 2011 10:26:52PM 1 point [-]

Oh there's various things, but the main issue is people just plain don't already know stuff (like Popper's philosophy) and learning a lot of material is a big challenge most people won't approach.

Guilty as charged. I couldn't tell you a single fact about Popperian philosophy, other than it being a controversy on LessWrong. In general, I find philosophy dense and difficult to understand (maybe because I think more concretely than abstractly) but if you could recommend a book or webpage that presents the ideas clearly with some concrete examples, I would love to check that out.

I think this kind of thing (combined with your attitude to genetic traits) is a common attitude here. But having investigated the field, basically none of the science for it is correct. Most is blatantly irrelevant: not capable of reaching the conclusions it purports to reach based on the evidence it purports to be using. Would you be interested in discussing that?

I would love to discuss that once I've had time to do the research...I'm at work right now and my break only lasts another 5 minutes, so I'll get back to you sometime tomorrow or the next day. This isn't a good week, I have 3 exams and a paper due, but I'll find time.

But, if this and your other comments about wanting to learn and be open minded are representative, it easily puts you in the top 20%, especially counting lurkers.

Open-mindedness and curiosity are one thing. Raw native intelligence is something different. I might be above average on the first two, but I expect I have less of the second that the average LWer. For example, I would love to understand the math of quantum mechanics, but it's hard for me and really learning it, if I decided to, would likely be a multi-year endevour. Same with computer programming...I would love to actually be able to do it, but it doesn't come super easily.

Got to go I have to go teach first aid to 13-year-olds! I'll reply to the rest of your comment later.

Comment author: curi 10 April 2011 10:38:19PM 1 point [-]

This isn't a good week, I have 3 exams and a paper due, but I'll find time.

There's no hurry. I might stop checking this website, but I'll be happy to continue the discussion any time if you email me curi@curi.us

It would be fine if you were busy and delayed for a month, or whatever. No big deal.

Comment author: Swimmer963 11 April 2011 03:22:58PM *  0 points [-]

You seem pretty calm so far, no big danger signs, though it's hard to tell if you'll continue replying much. It's hard to explain why I have some doubt there. A lot of agreeable people don't like to push issues into too much depth to the point of bringing out disagreements and then discussing them.

I would like to continue this conversation. It's awfully nice to be discussing with someone and have them post a comment the length of a short story full of points that, while I might not agree with them, are well-thought-out. And nothing you said has really annoyed me. Some of the things you say I wouldn't say, because a) that's just not my attitude to life, and b) I have no particular reason (yet) to try to filter who I talk to. However, I think I understand why you take that attitude, and it doesn't seem to have any negative consequences for your emotions, assuming you don't care that people comment on your reputation. (Wish I could cite that comment but I don't think I can find it again...)

Just checked your karma though. With that much you must discuss a fair amount, unless you're account is really old or you're good at writing popular top level posts that get 10 points per vote.

My account is about 3 months old. I would need to add it up properly, but for sure more than 3/4 of my karma comes from my top-level posts. I have a few (Being a Teacher and Ability to React, neither of them very controversial) that were upvoted more than I think they deserved (46 and 68 upvotes respectively, or around that) and the rest are between 10 and 20. My post Positive Thinking probably has the most comments of anything I've written...it's about the benefits of religious communities, which makes it fairly controversial here. I'm not good at writing controversial stuff (or writing non-fiction at all, really) but it's a nice feeling when you're 19 and feel kind of powerless in the world-at-large to see people replying to and discussing your ideas.

Comment author: curi 11 April 2011 07:40:09PM 0 points [-]

assuming you don't care that people comment on your reputation. (Wish I could cite that comment but I don't think I can find it again...)

I saw several comments like that. I vaguely recall replying to one asking what my reputation is, since he hadn't specified.

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