William comments on Tell it to someone who doesn't care - Less Wrong

19 Post author: PhilGoetz 14 April 2009 06:15PM

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Comment author: William 14 April 2009 10:55:37PM 2 points [-]

This also shows the dangers of such a method--if Rush gets too powerful, it goes from "You naughty boy, Rush!" to "You naughty boy, critic of Rush!", like what's happening now with respect to Michael Steele. And too much extremism can result in evaporative cooling.

Comment author: PhilGoetz 14 April 2009 11:03:46PM 1 point [-]

Evaporative cooling?

Comment author: Eliezer_Yudkowsky 14 April 2009 11:12:50PM 3 points [-]
Comment author: PhilGoetz 15 April 2009 01:12:14AM *  1 point [-]

Why would the moderates, rather than the extremists, be the high-energy particles?

Comment author: arundelo 15 April 2009 03:19:47AM 5 points [-]

Because otherwise the metaphor doesn't work.

Comment author: Technologos 15 April 2009 03:56:57AM 1 point [-]

They don't necessarily have to be--but then it should be easy to identify the radicals, as they go off to start their own groups.

If there is another group close to the moderates, say another political party, they may go join that one since that would be more straightforward than waiting for the extremists (who also may have more affective attachment to the label) to leave.