jsalvatier comments on The 5-Second Level - Less Wrong

111 Post author: Eliezer_Yudkowsky 07 May 2011 04:51AM

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Comment author: roland 08 May 2011 04:19:45AM 8 points [-]

I know that I'll probably be downvoted again, but nevertheless.

Which in practice, makes a really huge difference in how much rationalists can relax when they are around fellow rationalists. It's the difference between having to carefully tiptoe through a minefield and being free to run and dance, knowing that even if you make a mistake, it won't socially kill you.

Sorry, but I don't feel that I have this freedom on LW. And I feel people moralize here especially using the downvote function.

To give a concrete example of Eliezer himself

http://lesswrong.com/lw/1ww/undiscriminating_skepticism/

I don't believe there were explosives planted in the World Trade Center. ... I believe that all these beliefs are not only wrong but visibly insane.

I politely asked for clarification only to be not only ignored but also downvoted to -4:

Eliezer, could you explain how you arrived at the conclusion that this particular believe is visibly insane?

http://lesswrong.com/lw/1ww/undiscriminating_skepticism/1t7r

On another comment I presented evidence to the contrary(a video interview) to be downvoted to -15: http://lesswrong.com/lw/1ww/undiscriminating_skepticism/1r5v

So when just asking the most basic rationality question(why do you believe what you believe) and presenting evidence that contradicts a point is downvoted I don't feel that LW is about rationality as much as others like to believe. And I also feel that basic elements of politeness are missing and yes, I feel like I have to walk on eggs.

Comment author: jsalvatier 08 May 2011 05:47:16PM 2 points [-]

Are there lots of other topics you feel this way about?

If it's just this topic, that doesn't seem like a very big deal to me. I have no doubt LW has at least a few topics where people have an unproductive moralizing response. However, if such toxicity uncommon and doesn't affect important topics then I don't think it's a very big deal (though certainly worth avoiding).

Comment author: [deleted] 08 May 2011 06:14:48PM 4 points [-]

It was made pretty clear in the other thread that the evidence linked was extremely weak.

Maybe that doesn't justify -15, but a priori I'd downvote it.

Comment author: wedrifid 08 May 2011 06:20:19PM 1 point [-]

but a priori I'd downvote it.

ceteris paribus?

Comment author: [deleted] 08 May 2011 07:25:30PM 2 points [-]

If I didn't already know it'd been downvoted into the asthenosphere, I would have downvoted it. But as it stands now, there's no reason for me to downvote it, because it's already been downvoted enough.

Comment author: wedrifid 08 May 2011 10:16:42PM 1 point [-]

If I didn't already know it'd been downvoted into the asthenosphere, I would have downvoted it. But as it stands now, there's no reason for me to downvote it, because it's already been downvoted enough.

I understood the message. But the latin phase was off. Ceteris paribus is the one that would fit.

Comment author: [deleted] 08 May 2011 11:54:56PM 1 point [-]

Fair enough.

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