Nominull comments on Why We Can't Take Expected Value Estimates Literally (Even When They're Unbiased) - Less Wrong

75 Post author: HoldenKarnofsky 18 August 2011 11:34PM

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Comment author: shminux 18 August 2011 06:49:12PM *  -2 points [-]

Did I summarize your point correctly:

  • an instinctive reaction of the type "you are so full of it" to any poorly supported extravagant claim has a fancy name "Bayesian adjustment" and so can be trusted
  • singularity research is one such claim
  • GiveWell's charity metrics penalize charities with high uncertainties
  • Give to GiveWell if you want to be sure your donation is not wasted

Edit: not saying that I agree with this, just checking if my understanding is not off-base.

Comment author: Nominull 19 August 2011 06:15:49AM 2 points [-]

explaining the math behind our instincts is usually a worthy goal. you call it "bayesian" because it is, of course, bayesian.