jimrandomh comments on Instrumental Rationality is a Chimera - Less Wrong

6 Post author: Tom_Talbot 16 April 2009 11:15PM

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Comment author: jimrandomh 16 April 2009 11:55:31PM 0 points [-]

I agree that we could use some more domain-specific essays. That said, I think you're undervaluing the pure philosophy and cognitive psychology side of this site's writings.

That fact is that we have not done anything yet.

Less Wrong is only a blog. The only thing it can ever hope to achieve is to produce some good essays. The people who read those essays may go on to achieve things, but those only reflect on them personally, not on Less Wrong.

The attempt to develop a grand unified theory of instrumental rationality is an attempt to abstract away from the details of individual circumstances, in order to come up with a Best Way To Do Everything Forever.

No, that is expressly disavowed by the site's title. All progress is incremental; it isn't possible to be completely right, only to be less wrong, or less often wrong.

Comment author: Tom_Talbot 17 April 2009 12:29:25AM 2 points [-]

Less Wrong is only a blog. The only thing it can ever hope to achieve is to produce some good essays. The people who read those essays may go on to achieve things, but those only reflect on them personally, not on Less Wrong.

Don't you have a sense that more is possible?

No, that is expressly disavowed by the site's title. All progress is incremental; it isn't possible to be completely right, only to be less wrong, or less often wrong.

Well alright, I was exaggerating for rhetorical purposes. But still, the point stands that "instrumental rationality" does not correspond to anything that anyone can actually do. It is a meaningless label.

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