tetsuo55 comments on Why I write about the basics - Less Wrong

19 Post author: lukeprog 10 December 2011 10:49PM

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Comment author: shminux 11 December 2011 02:03:37AM *  20 points [-]

we decide we have an incurable disease called "akrasia" instead of doing that which is known to fix akrasia.

I find this to be one of the most annoying of your recurrent comments. I suspect it is the same thing that annoys EY when someone suggests to him "doing that which is known to fix" weight issues (i.e. diet and exercise). Or when someone tells a clinically depressed person to just stop being depressed, because "it's all in your head".

As a rationalist, you would not deny that real people do have a real problem with procrastination. Given that these people are not stupid, and do not actually enjoy procrastinating, you better admit that there is no simple solution to it, otherwise nearly everyone on LW would have been cured by now.

So, how about publicly admitting that your statement that akrasia can be easily fixed is not a rational one?

Comment author: tetsuo55 11 December 2011 02:53:16PM *  5 points [-]

I think it's a chicken and egg problem. What luke writes on that page really does work, the page suggests building a set of skills and behaviors. But how does one overcome the akrasia about actually doing what the page suggests? I don't think we have an answer for that.