RichardKennaway comments on Cult impressions of Less Wrong/Singularity Institute - Less Wrong

29 Post author: John_Maxwell_IV 15 March 2012 12:41AM

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Comment author: RichardKennaway 15 March 2012 07:27:06AM 14 points [-]

How do you distinguish a happy death spiral from a happy life spiral? Wasting one's life on a wild goose chase from spending one's life on a noble cause?

"I take my beliefs seriously, you are falling into a happy death spiral, they are a cult."

Comment author: cousin_it 15 March 2012 07:52:37AM *  9 points [-]

I guess you meant to ask, "how do you distinguish ideas that lead to death spirals from ideas that lead to good things?" My answer is that you can't tell by looking only at the idea. Almost any idea can become a subject for a death spiral if you approach it the wrong way (the way Will_Newsome wants you to), or a nice research topic if you approach it right.

Comment author: Will_Newsome 19 March 2012 03:13:16AM *  9 points [-]

(the way Will_Newsome wants you to),

I've recanted; maybe I should say so somewhere. I think my post on the subject was sheer typical mind fallacy. People like Roko and XiXiDu are clearly damaged by the "take things seriously" meme, and what it means in my head is not what it means in the heads of various people who endorse the meme.