Eliezer_Yudkowsky comments on Rationality Quotes September 2012 - Less Wrong

7 Post author: Jayson_Virissimo 03 September 2012 05:18AM

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Comment author: Eliezer_Yudkowsky 08 September 2012 08:41:56AM 24 points [-]

The following quotes were heavily upvoted, but then turned out to be made by a Will Newsome sockpuppet who edited the quote afterward. The original comments have been banned. The quotes are as follows:

If dying after a billion years doesn't sound sad to you, it's because you lack a thousand-year-old brain that can make trillion-year plans.

— Aristosophy

One wish can achieve as much as you want. What the genie is really offering is three rounds of feedback.

— Aristosophy

If anyone objects to this policy response, please PM me so as to not feed the troll.

Comment author: Document 09 September 2012 04:18:34AM 12 points [-]

Edited how?

Comment author: Davorak 12 September 2012 02:25:03PM 8 points [-]

If I remember correctly the second quote was edited to be something along the lines of "will_newsome is awesome."

Comment author: adamisom 11 December 2012 11:03:14PM -1 points [-]

That is cute.. no? More childish than evil. He should just be warned that's trolling.

There really should be a comment edit history feature. Maybe it only activates once a comment reaches +10 karma.

Comment author: wedrifid 08 September 2012 09:31:05AM 16 points [-]

The following quotes were heavily upvoted, but then turned out to be made by a Will Newsome sockpuppet who edited the quote afterward. The original comments have been banned. The quotes are as follows:

Defection too far. Ban Will.

Comment author: Armok_GoB 08 September 2012 06:08:32PM 5 points [-]

Will is a cute troll.

Hmm, after observing it a few times on various forums I'm starting to consider that having a known, benign resident troll might keep away more destructive ones. No idea how it works but it doesn't seem that far-fetched given all the strange territoriality-like phenomena occasionally encountered in the oddest places.

Comment author: wedrifid 08 September 2012 06:26:02PM *  9 points [-]

Will is a cute troll.

I've heard this claimed.

This behavior isn't cute.

Hmm, after observing it a few times on various forums I'm starting to consider that having a known, benign resident troll might keep away more destructive ones. No idea how it works but it doesn't seem that far-fetched given all the strange territoriality-like phenomena occasionally encountered in the oddest places.

This would be somewhat in fitting with findings in Cialdini. One defector kept around and visibly punished or otherwise looking low status is effective at preventing that kind of behavior. (If not Cialdini, then Greene. Probably both.)

Comment author: [deleted] 09 September 2012 08:40:12AM 8 points [-]

I do find some of Will Newsome's contributions interesting. OTOH, this behaviour is pretty fucked up. (I was wondering how hard it would be to implement a software feature to show the edit history of comments.)

Comment author: Incorrect 08 September 2012 06:27:10PM 3 points [-]

If dying after a billion years doesn't sound sad to you, it's because you lack a thousand-year-old brain that can make trillion-year plans.

If only the converse were true...

Comment author: Hawisher 17 September 2012 02:04:16AM 0 points [-]

"...if you lack a thousand-year-old brain that can make trillion-year plans, dying after a billion years doesn't sound sad to you"?

I'm confused as to what you're trying to say. Are you saying that dying after a billion years sounds sad to you?

Comment author: nshepperd 17 September 2012 04:08:31AM 2 points [-]

"If you lack a thousand-year-old brain that can make trillion-year plans, it's because dying after a billion years doesn't sound sad to you."

I think meaning it's unfortunate that thinking that dying after a billion years is sad doesn't by itself give you the power to live that long. Maybe.

Comment author: Hawisher 17 September 2012 05:28:39PM 0 points [-]

I was never one for formal logic, but isn't that the contrapositive? I was under the impression that the converse of p then q was q then p.

Comment author: Eugine_Nier 18 September 2012 02:04:35AM 1 point [-]

I was under the impression that the converse of p then q was q then p.

Yes and that's what nshepperd wrote.

Comment author: Hawisher 18 September 2012 07:27:27PM 0 points [-]

Oh wow, never mind. My brain was temporarily broken. Is it considered bad etiquette here to retract incorrect comments?

Comment author: Eugine_Nier 19 September 2012 04:15:41AM 1 point [-]

When you retract the comment is simply struck-through not deleted, so no.

Comment author: Incorrect 17 September 2012 04:19:29AM 1 point [-]

Are you saying that dying after a billion years sounds sad to you?

And therefore you would have a thousand-year-old brain that can make trillion-year plans.

Comment author: MugaSofer 01 October 2012 11:58:44AM 0 points [-]

Seems legit.