solipsist comments on Engaging Intellectual Elites at Less Wrong - Less Wrong

11 Post author: lukeprog 13 August 2013 05:55PM

You are viewing a comment permalink. View the original post to see all comments and the full post content.

Comments (136)

You are viewing a single comment's thread. Show more comments above.

Comment author: solipsist 14 August 2013 12:01:51AM 6 points [-]

Retirees have the wisdom of experience, are seasoned writers, and have few external obligations. Contributing to LW would not be a waste of their time or abilities.

How many retirees post here?

Do people know retired professors or other smart retired people who would do well on Less Wrong?

Comment author: kbaxter 14 August 2013 12:57:52AM *  14 points [-]

As one data point, my father has been retired for 7 years. He got a PhD in physics and then became a software engineer after deciding he didn't really enjoy research. He's interested in LessWrong-y topics like rationality, optimal philanthropy, and some of the areas of philosophy that are often discussed here. He's read and enjoyed some of the articles I've linked him to on LessWrong. He should be a shoe-in, right?

But he didn't grow up in a time when online communities were a thing. They're just not part of his life and he has no interest in joining one.

Comment author: solipsist 14 August 2013 02:44:33AM *  8 points [-]

They're just not part of his life and he has no interest in joining one.

Just curious: do you know he has no interest, or do you assume he has no interest?

Comment author: kbaxter 14 August 2013 02:54:46AM *  7 points [-]

Yeah, I realized that while writing it. You're right - I don't know for sure that he has no interest at all. Although it is true that he hasn't made an account here despite reading and enjoying some posts here.

I have also never heard him mention any other online communities, and I talk to him often enough that I'd expect it to come up.

Comment author: Vaniver 20 August 2013 02:20:43AM 4 points [-]

I think you may be underestimating the amount of gentle hand-holding necessary for someone to develop an affordance, and think it might be worth seriously presenting it to him as a potential hobby.