Vladimir_Nesov comments on [SEQ RERUN] The Amazing Virgin Pregnancy - Less Wrong

3 Post author: MinibearRex 04 December 2011 04:11AM

You are viewing a comment permalink. View the original post to see all comments and the full post content.

Comments (27)

You are viewing a single comment's thread. Show more comments above.

Comment author: Vladimir_Nesov 05 December 2011 01:11:11PM *  0 points [-]

Some things should sound absurd (because they aren't true), and some shouldn't. Absurdity bias is where this judgment fails, but if you see absurdly wrong things as non-absurd, that would be the opposite, non-absurdity bias, also a problem.

Comment author: TheOtherDave 05 December 2011 03:21:16PM 1 point [-]

So, I agree with your main point, but at the risk of being pedantic: absurdity bias is the tendency of a system to judge absurd-sounding statements as false.

Judging as false an absurd statement that turns out to also be false might not be a case where "the judgment fails," but it's just as good an example of absurdity bias as judging as false an absurd statement that turns out to be true.