JulianMorrison comments on Mandatory Secret Identities - Less Wrong

28 Post author: Eliezer_Yudkowsky 08 April 2009 06:10PM

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Comment author: AlexU 08 April 2009 08:20:01PM *  3 points [-]

It just seems at odds with the scientific ethos of cutting out the bullshit whenever possible. Instead, Eliezer seems bent on injecting bullshit back into the mix, which I'd argue comes at the expense of clarity, precision, and credibility. However, I do realize it's a calculated decision intended to give normally dry ideas more memetic potential, and I'm not in a position to say the trade-off definitely isn't worth it.

Comment author: JulianMorrison 08 April 2009 09:26:01PM 2 points [-]

It just seems at odds with the scientific ethos

Deliberately so. The original OB posts started with it as a thought experiment, "what if we kept science secret, so people would appreciate its Awesome Mysteries?"

Comment author: ciphergoth 10 April 2009 10:55:53AM 1 point [-]

Despite that, I think that whole style is a tremendous mistake. It's an interesting thought experiment, but we should be clear that it runs completely counter to the things that actually bring about accurate results.