Stefan_King comments on Rationality Quotes - April 2009 - Less Wrong

11 Post author: Eliezer_Yudkowsky 18 April 2009 01:26AM

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Comment author: [deleted] 18 April 2009 10:12:42AM *  1 point [-]

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Comment author: Vladimir_Nesov 18 April 2009 02:35:20PM *  4 points [-]

The citation is taken from "Brinkmanship in Business"[pdf]. The cited assertion is actually a mistake, as it presupposes that the right thing to do in the Ultimatum game is to accept any amount offered to you, and never punish the unfair dealer. The whole document is a lesson in Dark Arts.

Comment author: [deleted] 18 April 2009 03:00:21PM *  1 point [-]

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Comment author: Vladimir_Nesov 18 April 2009 03:23:17PM *  0 points [-]

Please taboo "Dark Arts".

I like the phrase. The document is written to profess a mistaken position about how to deceive, and as a result it becomes a deceptive lesson in deception, Dark Side Epistemology incarnate.

Comment author: [deleted] 18 April 2009 03:58:52PM *  0 points [-]

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Comment author: Vladimir_Nesov 18 April 2009 04:19:06PM 1 point [-]

No, he might be right about how people in business react "rationally", and I wouldn't know anything about that.

Comment author: [deleted] 19 April 2009 09:25:16AM *  1 point [-]

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Comment author: Vladimir_Nesov 19 April 2009 12:12:35PM 2 points [-]

You may give solid advice, accompanying it with ridiculous rationalization. The bottom line is correct, but the reasons you put above it are not. So, in this case, I assume that the practical advice he gives might be reasonable, but the description of why it works is not.