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James_Miller comments on Rationality Quotes November 2012 - Less Wrong
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Sean Davis discussing political polling.
I'd like everyone to be far more skeptical of those who are instinctively skeptical of math.
Yes, and one of the best ways to do this is to reduce the perception among those with low math skills that people with strong math skills use math to intimidate.
Davis' statement was not a generalised admonition concerning reasoning, but a statement made with the bottom line written (he was justifying ignoring Nate Silver). It's not entirely accurate to characterise it in general terms.
I suggest we put this debate on hold, until say November, 6. ;)
It seems like calling into salience the notion of "those who use math to intimidate" would tend to increase the perception among those with low math skills that people with strong math skills use math to intimidate.
If we increase the social penalty on people who use math to intimidate we will decrease the number of people who use math to intimidate and so on net might reduce the perception among those with low math skills that people with strong math skills use math to intimidate.
Doesn't the wisdom of this depend on whether those using math to win status conflicts are right on the merits?
If being good at math is sufficiently likely to make one win status arguments because one is right, the incentive on people to become better at math is probably worth the cost from people using high math skills to win arguments despite being wrong on the merits.
Changing the underlying reality seems like a rather roundabout and unreliable method of changing people's perceptions.
In LessWrong terms, this is about the most horrible thing you can say about a society. It reads like an introductory quote to some hyper-Machiavellian book on advertising or political campaigning. Up-voted!
If this wasn't on LW (and on the rationality quotes thread!) it would deserve to go on the rationality quotes thread.
Specifically, as part of the recent conservative criticism of Nate Silver.