Jayson_Virissimo comments on Rationality Quotes March 2012 - Less Wrong

4 Post author: Thomas 03 March 2012 08:04AM

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Comment author: shokwave 06 March 2012 01:19:53PM 0 points [-]

[it's] Strange that tradition should not show more interest in the past.

-- the character Sherkaner Underhill, from A Fire Upon the Deep, by Vernor Vinge.

If people believe traditions are valuable, they should anticipate that searching the past for more traditions is valuable. But we don't see that; we see most past traditions (paradoxically!) rejected with "things are different now".

Comment author: Jayson_Virissimo 06 March 2012 01:31:34PM *  6 points [-]

Hmm...my subjective impression is that people that talk a lot about tradition actually are more interested in history than people who don't.

Comment author: simplyeric 06 March 2012 03:21:26PM -1 points [-]

My subjective impression is that people who talk a lot about tradition are more interested in "the past" than they are interested in "history". e.g. the history of our nation does not bear out the traditional idea that everyone is equal. Or for that matter, the tradition of social mobility in our country, or the tradition of a wedding veil, or the tradition of Christmas caroling v. wassailing, etc.