Eugine_Nier comments on Muehlhauser-Goertzel Dialogue, Part 1 - Less Wrong

28 Post author: lukeprog 16 March 2012 05:12PM

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Comment author: Eugine_Nier 17 March 2012 03:05:13AM 3 points [-]

(Anybody who thinks I'm missing something, ask yourself: what do you think you know that you think I don't think you know? How could I have come to not think you know something that you think you know? Are you confident of that model? This is where chess-playing subskills are very useful.)

Wow, I only associate that level of arrogance with Eliezer.

Comment author: Will_Newsome 17 March 2012 03:13:24AM *  1 point [-]

I don't see how it's arrogance, except maybe by insinuation/connotation; I'll think about how to remove the insinuation/connotation. I was trying to describe an important skill of rationality, not assert my supremacy at that skill. But describing a skill sort of presupposes that the audience lacks the skill. So it's awkward.

Comment author: Eugine_Nier 17 March 2012 03:54:37AM 8 points [-]

It's arrogance because you're implying that you've already thought of and rejected any objection the reader could come up with.

Comment author: Will_Newsome 17 March 2012 04:04:26AM 2 points [-]

Didn't mean to imply that; deleted the offending paragraph at any rate.

Comment author: Mitchell_Porter 17 March 2012 03:38:14AM 3 points [-]

Your comments are probably better without such meta appendices. I lambast LW for being wrong about many worlds and for having a crypto-dualist philosophy of mind, and I find directness is better than intricate attempts to preempt the reader's default epistemology. Going meta is not always for the best; save it up and then use it in the second round if you have to.

Comment author: wedrifid 17 March 2012 06:21:09AM *  3 points [-]

Your comments are probably better without such meta appendices.

This applies doubly for those whose 'meta' position is so closely associated with either fundamental quantum monads or outright support of theism based on the Catholic god.

Comment author: Will_Newsome 18 March 2012 04:54:30AM *  1 point [-]

(Inconsequential stylistic complaint: Atheists like to do it all the time, but it strikes me as juvenile not to capitalize "Catholic" or "God". If you don't capitalize "catholic" then it just means "universal", and not capitalizing "God" is like making a point of writing Eliezer's name as "eliezer" just because you think he's the Antichrist. It's contemptibly petty. Is there some justification I'm missing? (I'm not judging you by the way, just imagining a third party judge.))

Comment author: wedrifid 18 March 2012 05:42:19AM *  5 points [-]

If you don't capitalize "catholic" then it just means "universal"

That's true. Not writing "Catholic" was an error. It's not like the Catholic religion is any more universal than, say, the 'Liberal' party here is particularly liberal. Names get capitals so we don't confuse them with real words.

and not capitalizing "God" is like making a point of writing Eliezer's name as "eliezer" just because you think he's the Antichrist.

But here you are wrong.

When referring to supernatural entities that fall into the class 'divine' the label that applies is 'god'. For example, Zeus is a god, Allah is a god and God is a god. If you happened to base your theology around Belar I would have written "the Alorn god". Writing "the Alorn God" would be a corruption of grammar. If I was making a direct reference to God I would capitalize His name. I wasn't. I was referring to a religion which, being monotheistic can be dereferenced to specify a particular fictional entity.

Other phrases I may utter:

  • The Arendish god is Chaldan
  • The Protestant god is God.
  • Children believe in believing in the Easter Bunny.

Is there some justification I'm missing?

The historic conceit that makes using capitalization appropriate when referring to God does not extend to all usages of the word 'god', even when the ultimate referent is Him. For all the airs we may give Him, God is just a god - with all that entails.

Comment author: Will_Newsome 18 March 2012 05:58:56AM 3 points [-]

Sorry, you're right, what confused me was "catholic god" in conjunction; "Catholic god" wouldn't have tripped me up.

Comment author: Will_Newsome 17 March 2012 03:46:42AM 0 points [-]

I think you're right, I'll just remove it.

By the way I've come to think that your intuitions re quantum mind/monadology are at least plausibly correct/in-the-right-direction, but this epistemic shift hasn't changed my thoughts about FAI at all; thus I fear compartmentalization on my part, and I'd like to talk with you about it when I'm able to reliably respond to email. It seems to me that there's insufficient disturbed-ness about disagreement amongst the serious-minded Friendliness community.

Also, what's your impression re psi? Or maybe it's best not to get into that here.

Comment author: khafra 19 March 2012 02:14:14PM 1 point [-]

Sounds like a good thing to have in a "before hitting 'reply,' consider these" checklist; but not to add to your own comment (for, as Will might say, "game-theoretic and signaling reasons.")