shminux comments on Open Thread, May 1-14, 2013 - Less Wrong

3 Post author: whpearson 01 May 2013 10:28PM

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Comment author: shminux 14 May 2013 07:37:59PM *  1 point [-]

I have looked through a bunch of your recent replies, and they exhibit a number of standard cognitive biases worth addressing before you can profitably carry any religion-related discussion. Or any rational discussion for that matter. Learning about the biases and learning to identify them in yourself is an important part of instrumental rationality. After you are at a reasonable discourse level, and have critically examined your epistemology, as most regulars here have done and still do on occasion, you might or might not choose to be a Mormon for religious and/or possibly social reasons. Or you may decide to not open that particular Pandora's box, who knows. But you are not there yet. Your religion-related arguments are of the level of a physics newbie arguing against relativity with the race car-on-a-train idea, or Draco arguing for blood purity in HPMOR. You cannot even understand the arguments presented to you, and so you reject them out of hand.

Comment author: [deleted] 14 May 2013 07:56:51PM 1 point [-]

a number of standard cognitive biases

Um, I'd be happy to hear all about them. Like, specific biases and examples. It's not much help for me just to be told I'm completely clueless.

Your religion-related arguments are of the level of a physics newbie arguing against relativity with the race car-on-a-train idea

Keep in mind that I never intended to challenge atheism. I'm not trying to convert anybody, because I know how that would appear.

You cannot even understand the arguments presented to you, and so you reject them out of hand.

Obviously I have to disagree. I've heard many arguments here that educated me and expanded my understanding, and a few people have said that they agree with points I have made. But if you insist on fixating upon my newness—what specifically would you recommend I read to improve? I've read most of the sequences, and I've been keeping up with general discussion for a few weeks now.