Alsadius comments on Our Phyg Is Not Exclusive Enough - Less Wrong

25 [deleted] 14 April 2012 09:08PM

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Comment author: Alsadius 15 April 2012 07:56:45PM -1 points [-]

Debate is a tool for achieving truth. Why is that such a terrible thing?

Comment author: wedrifid 15 April 2012 08:08:50PM 0 points [-]

Debate is a tool for achieving truth. Why is that such a terrible thing?

I didn't say it was. Please read again.

Comment author: Alsadius 15 April 2012 08:41:57PM 0 points [-]

You said that we should avoid debate because it's bad for the social atmosphere. I'm not seeing much difference.

Comment author: wedrifid 15 April 2012 08:49:07PM *  0 points [-]

You said that we should avoid debate because it's bad for the social atmosphere.

No I didn't. I said we should avoid creating a deliberate environment of ignorance just so that debate is artificially supported. To the extent that debate is a means to an end it is distinctly counterproductive to deliberately sabotage that same end so that more debate is forced.

See also: Lost purpose.

Comment author: Alsadius 15 April 2012 08:58:53PM 0 points [-]

Upon rereading, I think I see what you're getting at, but you seem to be arguing from the principle that creating ignorance is the preferred way to create debate. That seems ahem non-obvious to me. There's no shortage of topics where informed debate is possible, and seeking to debate those does not require(and, in fact, generally works against) promoting ignorance. Coming here for debate does not imply wanting to watch an intellectual cripplefight.

Comment author: wedrifid 15 April 2012 09:02:12PM 1 point [-]

Upon rereading, I think I see what you're getting at, but you seem to be arguing from the principle that creating ignorance is the preferred way to create debate. That seems ahem non-obvious to me.

I seem to be coming from a position of making a direct reply to Bugmaster with the specific paragraph I was replying to quoted. That should have made the meaning more obvious to you.

There's no shortage of topics where informed debate is possible, and seeking to debate those does not require(and, in fact, generally works against) promoting ignorance.

Which is what I myself advocated with:

Debates emerge when there are new ideas to be expressed and new outlooks or bodies of knowledge to consider - and the supply of such is practically endless.

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