sam0345 comments on What is moral foundation theory good for? - Less Wrong

9 Post author: novalis 12 August 2012 05:03AM

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Comment author: Wei_Dai 15 August 2012 02:02:46AM *  7 points [-]

I think the concrete objection from your comment fails to recognize the relevant concerns I outlined above.

Yes, it's quite possible that you've thought through these issues more thoroughly than I have. But one thing that makes me more skeptical than usual is that you're the only person I know who often makes claims like "I privately have better arguments but I can't share them because they would be too inflammatory". If your arguments and conclusions are actually correct, why haven't other people discovered them independently and either made them public (due to less concern about causing controversy) or made similar claims (about having private arguments)? Do you have an explanation why you seem to be in such an uncommon epistemic position? (For example do you have certain cognitive strengths that make it easier for you to see certain insights?)

If I were you, I would be rather anxious to see if my arguments stand up under independent scrutiny, and would find a place where they can be discussed without causing excessive harm. I asked earlier whether you discuss your ideas in other forums or have plans to make them public eventually. You didn't answer explicitly which I guess means the answers to both are "no"? Can you explain why?

Comment author: sam0345 17 August 2012 01:59:24AM *  1 point [-]

But one thing that makes me more skeptical than usual is that you're the only person I know who often makes claims like ...

Observe that one of my previous replies to you have been silently deleted.

The reason you don't see Vlad's arguments is that you don't hang out in the kind of forums where people such as Vlad are allowed to plainly state their arguments.

Comment author: Multiheaded 19 August 2012 01:49:27PM *  6 points [-]

I've browsed Stormfront a few times (rather extensively). That is certainly a forum where people like Vlad would be allowed to plainly state their arguments, and might even reasonably get some cheering. However, there is a slight problem; I haven't seen any actual people like Vlad there, and that is understandable, since people like Vlad have some self-respect and probably wouldn't be caught dead posting at such crackpot shitholes.

(I certainly saw some people like Vlad in the comments on UR, but even there about every third comment is useless angry noise.)

Comment author: Bakkot 19 August 2012 06:13:26AM 0 points [-]

Every time but one that I've seen a post deleted on LW, it has been because of the medium, not the message.

That is, the way the message was written was counter to discussion - for example, it contained a direct insult. (Calling someone a liar is pretty much never going to foster healthy discussion.) This happens for both controversial and uncontroversial opinions.

If you'd like, feel free to PM me any post you've made in this thread which has been deleted, or the approximate content thereof, and I can post it either as a direct quote or, if you'd prefer, rephrased in such a way that I think the composition of the post does not warrant deletion, so that we can test whether it's the message itself or merely the manner you express it which has been warranting deletion.