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dreeves comments on Rationality Quotes - April 2009 - Less Wrong
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"This isn't right. This isn't even wrong." -- Wolfgang Pauli, on a paper submitted by a physicist colleague
"On two occasions I have been asked [by members of Parliament], 'Pray, Mr. Babbage, if you put into the machine wrong figures, will the right answers come out?' I am not able rightly to apprehend the kind of confusion of ideas that could provoke such a question."
Charles Babbage
I remember someone on slashdot replied to that quote by saying, basically, If you're a mid-19th century member of Parliament, and you're presented with a machine design you don't understand (and don't expect to), by a respectable person asking for money, but you have a basically non-mysterious view of the world, what kinds of questions can you ask to determine whether the idea is scam? The question Babbage complains about is an excellent one.
If the designer claims it can get the right answers no matter what you've input into the machine, thus relying on reading your mind, you can know it's just a crude attempt at scamming you.
I suspect that's giving mid-19th century members of Parliament way too much credit.
Reminds me of this, can't remember where it's from
"That's too confused even to be wrong. Yes, every statement must evaluate to true or false, but that won't even compile."
No, it's false.