Constant2 comments on Positive Bias: Look Into the Dark - Less Wrong

45 Post author: Eliezer_Yudkowsky 28 August 2007 03:55AM

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Comment author: Constant2 28 August 2007 05:05:42PM 2 points [-]

Flynn, you write, "Isn't it the entire point of the post that confirmation bias is the tendency NOT TO CHECK ASSUMPTIONS?"

You simply can't check all your assumptions in finite time in this task, which is a problem, because you must complete the task in a finite time. That is not your fault - that is intrinsic in the challenge. Therefore some of your assumptions will necessarily go untested - and they will necessarily be enormous assumptions. The reason for this is that the set of possible rules is too large - it's infinite - and remains infinite no matter how much testing you do.

See also Stuart's comment and Robin's comment. I think they express major points I was trying to make, more clearly than I did.