The best 15 words

apophenia

People want to tell everything instead of telling the best 15 words. They want to learn everything instead of the best 15 words. In this thread, instead post the best 15-words from a book you've read recently (or anything else). It has to stand on its own. It's not a summary, the whole value needs to be contained in those words.

It doesn't need to cover everything in the book, it's just the best 15 words.
It doesn't need to be a quote, it's just the best 15 words.
It doesn't have to be 15 words long, it's just the best "15" words.
It doesn't have to be precisely true, it's just the best 15 words.
It doesn't have to be the main 15 words, it just has to be the best 15 words.
It doesn't have to be the author's 15 words, it just has to be the best 15 words.
Edit: It shouldn't just be a neat quote--the point of the exercise is to struggle to move from a book down to 15 words.

I'll start in the comments below.

(Voted by the Schelling study group as the best exercise of the meeting.)

It doesn't need to cover everything in the book, it's just the best 15 words.
It doesn't need to be a quote, it's just the best 15 words.
It doesn't have to be 15 words long, it's just the best "15" words.
It doesn't have to be precisely true, it's just the best 15 words.
It doesn't have to be the main 15 words, it just has to be the best 15 words.
It doesn't have to be the author's 15 words, it just has to be the best 15 words.
Edit: It shouldn't just be a neat quote--the point of the exercise is to struggle to move from a book down to 15 words.

I'll start in the comments below.

(Voted by the Schelling study group as the best exercise of the meeting.)

I know, I know. If I was writing this with any actual goal-oriented hope for positive change on LW, I would've tried to bridge the inferential distance. But hell, I'm just a miserable and depressed cranky guy. Not even in gender studies. Sigh.

You know part of why I've been posting such low quality, counter-productive (passive)-aggressive remarks recently? I still remember that buzz, that breathtaking feeling of half-delight and half-awe when I discovered the LW community and read the Sequences two years ago. Here are some of the most insightful, kickass people I could realistically talk to and learn together with, it said. And now noticing all the terrifying, fascist-leaning political undercurrents that pervade the community, I feel zero joy at the thought of just averting my eyes and staying for the "Awesome Rational Shoes" stuff and smart conversation.

Don't get me wrong, Eliezer on his own is still just as ultra-badass as ever. But the honeymoon is definitely over for me.

Here are some of the most insightful, kickass people I could realistically talk to and learn together with, it said. And now noticing all the terrifying, fascist-leaning political undercurrents that pervade the community,

So you've discovered a community of extremely rational people and some of their conclusions make you highly uncomfortable. How is this surprising? This is probably how a lot of theists feel while deconverting.

8Ishaan13y

I would like to apologize that the discussion that I started has upset you. I feel partly responsible that you are upset and I'd like to remedy this. I think that what you are feeling is part of the halo effect. When we see people who have some qualities we like (Understanding of logic, need for cognition, precise and methodical thought) we assume that they will also have other qualities we like and share our other values. So when someone within that doesn't share them, it sticks out like a sore thumb. It's also a reminder that your other views don't automatically come with the intelligence-rationality package. This reminder is good for your overall rationality. It forces you not to fall back on the "anyone who isn't an idiot can see that I am right" defense. But keep in mind Re: sore thumbs: In a rationalist community, Disagreement is salient, Agreement is silent.. Why was I even interested in Moldbug in the first place? Because he disagrees with me! [...] This is from the Lesswrong 2012 survey: POLITICS: Liberal: 427, 36% Libertarian: 359, 30.3% Socialist: 326, 27.5% Conservative: 35, 3% Communist: 8, 0.7% No answer: 30, 2.5% ALTERNATIVE POLITICS QUESTION: Progressive: 429, 36.3% Libertarian: 278, 23.5% Reactionary: 30, 2.5% Conservative: 24, 2% Communist: 22, 1.9% Other: 156, 13.2% ALTERNATIVE ALTERNATIVE POLITICS QUESTION: Left-Libertarian: 102, 8.6% Progressive: 98, 8.3% Libertarian: 91, 7.7% Pragmatist: 85, 7.2% Social Democrat: 80, 6.8% Socialist: 66, 5.6% Anarchist: 50, 4.1% Futarchist: 29, 2.5% Moderate: 18, 1.5% Moldbuggian: 19, 1.6% Objectivist: 11, 0.9% I show you this out to demonstrate the strong, silent agreement of social values on Lesswrong forums. We just don't feel the need to talk about it, because all our opinions are assumed by default. The "undercurrents" that concern you are feeling distressed about are an overwhelming minority. They get attention because they disagree, and therefore they are interesting. Afte

5Shmi13y

I am puzzled. I understand your desire to vent, and there are places to vent about this forum, like the relevant subreddit. But here people are expected to at least make an attempt at practicing rationality, even if faced with mixed success. Why post something here you know is irrational? Is the dubious satisfaction of telling me or someone else "wrong on the internet" off really worth it?

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