paper-machine comments on Shortening the Unshortenable Way - Less Wrong

-2 Post author: Duk3 26 July 2011 06:44AM

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Comment author: Manfred 26 July 2011 06:55:59AM 2 points [-]

Neh? Oh, do you mean this, a.k.a. the typical mind fallacy?

Still looks like an interesting exercise.

Comment author: [deleted] 26 July 2011 06:58:43AM 0 points [-]

First link after searching for Mind Projection Fallacy.

E. T. Jaynes used the term Mind Projection Fallacy to denote the error of projecting your own mind's properties into the external world.

Other-optimizing is a subset.

Comment author: Duk3 26 July 2011 07:44:29AM 2 points [-]

Interesting idea, paper. Your assertion is that because I have tried this and it works for me, I unreasonably weight its properties as helpful instead of objectively looking at it as another self-helpy useless trick? I suppose I am confused at the idea that because this idea may have helped me to establish the habit of writing in my journal, and the reflex of looking for opportunities to be rational, which seems positive.

I suppose I never stopped to think that i might be committing a typical mind fallacy when guessing that a useful habit which i used to train myself to be rationally opportunistic might be useful for lesswrong as a whole.

It is true that my post is attempting to optimize others. I am realistic enough to assume that everyone won't try this, particularly those who are already optimized in this fashion, but I also don't think that we should avoid posting potentially helpful techniques because we fear the mind projection fallacy and its other-optimizing subset.