Yvain comments on Defense Against The Dark Arts: Case Study #1 - Less Wrong
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Comments (48)
I disagree with your conclusion on the grounds that I think you're interpreting the passage in a different way than the author intended it.
My interpretation is more along the lines of "Steve Jobs, on seeing the profound economic destitution in the East, examined his beliefs about human utility functions. Finding that Western values/practices seemed to promote utility better than Eastern values/practices in developing countries (and perhaps that they do even in developed countries), he decided that the East should adopt the West's values/practices."
I loved the dissection into multiple biases, and I agree with your dissection based on your reading of the passage, but I think the author is saying something different and more in line with the prevalent beliefs on Less Wrong.
Yes and no. This is a reasonable defense of Steve Jobs, but not a reasonable defense of using the statement as a reply to Crowley's theory of yoga. The first conclusion of the statement - that India needs more Western values - is okay. The second conclusion - that therefore, the West can't learn from Indian "spiritual wisdom" - doesn't follow. To reply to Crowley's theory, it needs to prove the second conclusion.