Jonathan_Graehl comments on How to annoy misanthropes and bleeding-hearts - Less Wrong

27 Post author: PhilGoetz 07 July 2011 02:27AM

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Comment author: AlephNeil 07 July 2011 06:05:47PM *  13 points [-]

Instead, the moral character of an action’s consequences also seems to influence how non-moral aspects of the action – in this case, whether someone did something intentionally or not – are judged.

Stupid Knobe effect. Obviously the subjects' responses were an attempt to pass judgement on the CEO. In one case, he deserves no praise, but in the other he does deserve blame [or so a typical subject would presumably think]. The fact that they were forced to express their judgement of moral character through the word 'intentional', which sometimes is a 'non-moral' quality of an action, doesn't tell us anything interesting.

Comment author: Jonathan_Graehl 07 July 2011 06:36:33PM 1 point [-]

I thought of this too. Also a factor: publicly giving credit to someone makes you feel obligated to them.

Comment author: NancyLebovitz 07 July 2011 10:59:06PM 2 points [-]

Also a factor: publicly giving credit to someone makes you feel obligated to them.

Does it?

I would have said that the risks are that if you praise something, you might get told it isn't good enough, and if you blame someone, you might get entangled in the consequences of punishing them.

Comment author: Jonathan_Graehl 08 July 2011 05:06:01AM 0 points [-]

Yes, that too, now that you mention it. Especially when it comes to praising CEOs :)