AndrewHickey comments on On Debates with Trolls - Less Wrong

22 Post author: prase 12 April 2011 08:46AM

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Comment author: [deleted] 12 April 2011 12:54:37PM 3 points [-]

That hypothesis is actually the most reasonable one. The troll's arguments didn't have any merit - they were all perfect examples of every bad argument going - but they were the arguments one sees time and again from people who aren't (consciously) trolling.

Comment author: ameriver 19 April 2011 08:41:23PM 2 points [-]

they were the arguments one sees time and again from people who aren't (consciously) trolling.

I think this is quite a large part of it. I have several times on Less Wrong followed discussions that seemed to be headed towards trollishness, and then all of a sudden someone changes their mind, updates, and everyone moves on. It is one of the things I love about this website, and I would be sad if an anti-trolling sentiment led to these sort of discussions being abandoned before they concluded. Sometimes persistence is a waste of time, but sometimes it makes a difference.

Comment author: ciphergoth 12 April 2011 04:09:33PM 1 point [-]

I'm glad I didn't read it now - thanks!