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JGWeissman comments on I Stand by the Sequences - Less Wrong
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Comments (248)
I largely agree with the Sequences, and I also don't care for "low-level rehashes of tired debates", but I am wary of dismissing all disagreement as "low-level rehashes of tired debates".
I think people participating on LW should be familiar with the arguments presented in the Sequences, and if they disagree, they should demonstrate that they disagree despite knowing those arguments. When people fail to do this, we should point it out, and people who repeatedly fail to do this should not be taken seriously.
I too agree with pretty much everything in the Sequences that I've read (which is nearly all except the quantum bits), and I share your antipathy toward summary dismissal of disagreement. I was especiallyoffended at OP's request that commenters refrain from "substantiating" their objections.
So, I agree that a request like that regarding some idea X contributes to the silence of those who disagree with X.
That said, if there are a hundred people, and each person is (on average) ten times more likely to devote a unit of effort to talking about why X is wrong than to talking about why X is right even in situations where they are unsure whether X is wrong or right, then without some request along those lines there will effectively never be a discussion of why X is right.
That isn't necessarily a problem; maybe we're OK with never having a discussion of why X is right.
But it does mean that "summary dismissal" isn't a unilateral thing in cases like that. Yes, in such a case, if I make such a request, I am contributing to the silencing of the anti-X side as above... but if I fail to make such a request, I am contributing to the silencing of the pro-X side (though of course I can't be held accountable for it, since the responsibility for that silencing is distributed).
I try to stay aware that the end result sometimes matters more than whether anyone can hold me accountable for it.
This is true. Good point.
Also true.