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TimS comments on Rationality Quotes December 2011 - Less Wrong
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Really? The last quote seems expressly anti-rationality. Especially considering the source.
Some of us enjoy the challenge of finding rationalist ideas in unlikely places - or fitting ideas from non-rational sources into a rationalist framework. In this case, it seems fairly easy to do so. As Markus already points out, it is important to keep your mind from becoming infected with bad stuff.
Indeed it is. But the way you fight "memetic infection" in the real world is to take a look at the bad stuff and see where it goes wrong, not to isolate yourself from harmful ideas.
Yes. In this metaphor, the guard at the gates takes a look at the bad stuff and decides against letting it into the fortress.
One could make an argument that, in the world of Warhammer 40K, keeping your mind barred and guarded is actually the most rational thing to do. Because if you do not, then instead of saying things like "only in death does duty end", you'll find yourself saying things like, "maim kill burn MAIM KILL BURN" and "Arrghbllgghhayargh NURGLE". Only it wouldn't be you saying those things, precisely, but a daemon that slipped into your unguarded mind and took up residence in your body.
It may be that xenophobia is a local optimum for humanity in 40K. But technology is explicitly mystical in that universe. Imagine how many fewer problems they would have with their enemies if their stuff all worked, and they had more of it.
It's like bringing a 1000 pt army to a 500 pt skirmish. Every time.
IIRC that actually did happen a couple of times in that universe. The answers were usually "A Machine God eats the factory planet" and "Necrons". So, the outcome was... not good.
On the other hand, the T'au have a pretty good handle on their tech, and they're improving it all the time, so maybe the humans could take some lessons from them. On the third hand (*), the T'au as a whole seem to be immune to Chaos corruption, which is a luxury that the humans do not enjoy.
(*) Or tail or tentacle or what have you.
Mechadendrite, thank you very much.