J_Taylor comments on How to un-kill your mind - maybe. - Less Wrong

4 Post author: APMason 19 January 2012 06:36AM

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Comment author: J_Taylor 19 January 2012 03:46:01PM 1 point [-]

Pericles

Politicians talking about politics are almost as untrustworthy as philosophers talking about philosophy.

Comment author: Nick_Tarleton 19 January 2012 07:21:15PM *  5 points [-]

Argument screens off authority, and the quote is obviously true.

Comment author: J_Taylor 19 January 2012 08:42:52PM 1 point [-]

Apologies. I was giving the standard response to the standard response to someone talking about being apolitical.

Comment author: TimS 19 January 2012 04:13:10PM *  2 points [-]

So if I cite a philosopher talking about politics, you'll be more impressed?

The personal is political.

Author Uncertain

I'm trying to dispute the idea that it is safe, reasonable, or rational to ignore politics. "Politics is the mind-killer" is one part community norm for this forum and one part warning about cognitive bias. Just like "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely," Mindkiller is a warning, not a prohibition on political action or thought.

Comment author: [deleted] 19 January 2012 05:59:48PM *  0 points [-]

The personal is political.

People's everyday lives have very little to do with the political opinions they endorse. Indeed people's lives in general have very little to do with the political opinions they endorse. The only exception is that lives tend to go better for those who identify ruling and dominant ideologies/parties and stick to them when they are ascending rather than when declining.