DanArmak comments on Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality discussion thread, part 12 - Less Wrong

5 Post author: Xachariah 25 March 2012 11:01AM

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Comment author: DanArmak 25 March 2012 04:50:48PM 4 points [-]

Look at results, though. Until whatever it was happened ten years ago, Voldemort was winning the war with those tactics.

Comment author: wirov 25 March 2012 07:23:56PM 2 points [-]

Modulo Harry, those tactics were good enough – no doubt about that. But were they optimal?

Comment author: DanArmak 25 March 2012 09:23:09PM 7 points [-]

Probably not optimal if he could go back and redo from start. But sometimes "good enough" is good enough. Shifting tactics in the middle of a war, to the extent of completely changing your public persona, when a lot of the loyalty of your followers (and the fear that keeps bystanders uninvolved) depends intimately on your existing persona, would not be easy at all.