Lumifer comments on A Voting Puzzle, Some Political Science, and a Nerd Failure Mode - Less Wrong

88 Post author: ChrisHallquist 10 October 2013 02:10AM

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Comment author: Lumifer 10 October 2013 06:02:46PM 1 point [-]

Apply your epistemic rationality to the society and the agents around you as well -- they are part of reality, too.

Comment author: buybuydandavis 11 October 2013 05:06:08PM 1 point [-]

Yes, one can.

But I have this unfortunate habit of treating people as people, and not internal combustion engines to be optimized. Even more unfortunately, it's not just a habit, it's a preference. I have a strange compulsion towards honesty, and respecting the autonomy of others, and something of an aversion to people who don't have that strange compulsion.

Comment author: Lumifer 11 October 2013 05:19:44PM 1 point [-]

But I have this unfortunate habit of treating people as people, and not internal combustion engines to be optimized.

Read more carefully -- I'll bold the relevant part: "Apply your epistemic rationality to the society..."

Comment author: buybuydandavis 11 October 2013 07:42:27PM 0 points [-]

And what does apply mean to you when it comes to epistemic rationality? Just to know, or to do something with that knowledge?

Comment author: Lumifer 11 October 2013 07:49:01PM 0 points [-]

"Apply" means "learn" in this context.

Applying epistemic rationality means you try to make your map match the territory as well as you can.

What you do with this map is an entirely separate question (which is, largely, a function of your goals and instrumental rationality).