djcb comments on Rationality Quotes February 2012 - Less Wrong

5 [deleted] 01 February 2012 09:03PM

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Comment author: djcb 01 February 2012 10:21:14PM 0 points [-]

I guess it's re-stating Antoine de Saint Exupéry's "It seems that perfection is attained not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing more to remove".

Comment author: [deleted] 02 February 2012 12:33:35AM *  8 points [-]

I don't think that's quite right. To me it sounds more like: "In a harsh enough environment, the wrong kind of perfectionism can distract from matters more pertinent to your survival."

Comment author: RolfAndreassen 02 February 2012 03:17:03AM 3 points [-]

The quote needn't be taken as approving. Muad'Dib wanted to avoid the jihad he unleashed, even though he eventually came to see it as necessary. If you take it as neutral reporting of how the Fremen think, it could be taken as a comment on how circumstances shape your thinking, or as a caution against allowing no-longer-extant circumstances to constrain you.