Vladimir_M comments on How not to move the goalposts - Less Wrong

4 Post author: HopeFox 12 June 2011 03:45PM

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Comment author: Vladimir_M 12 June 2011 07:24:04PM *  15 points [-]

The main point of the article might make sense, but the example is awful. What you present as "logical inference" involves statements that are formulated so imprecisely that no accurate logical operations with them are possible at all. You also seem to operate with a puzzling notion of "equal work" performed by people whose skills differ, as well as an altogether inadequate model of how wages are determined in practice.

Also, of all charged and controversial topics, gender-related ones cause by far the most problems on LW in the sense of people being unable to handle them calmly and rationally, so you have actually chosen the very worst sort of example. (This is an interesting phenomenon, considering that other even more charged topics are usually discussed in a commendably rational way here.) Obviously, this is excusable for a new participant, considering that this warning isn't really spelled out anywhere, but you should be aware of it for the future.