I think this might be another way the karma system continues to be a feature of a map that doesn't necessarily represent the territory.
High karma seems to me to be about being on board with LW orthodoxy, articulating that clearly in posts and comments and supporting the aims of the group.
I guess there is nothing wrong with that...though that is exactly how "karma points" are handed out in the church.
This is basically saying, "People will listen to your opinion X amount more inside LW for doing this volunteer work." It is the exact same way in the church for those who evangelize a lot or display some other evidence of their commitment to the group.
The problem, I think, is that proofreading e-books or evangelizing the group's message is not the slightest bit related to having a view that is in line with reality which is, as I understood it, one of the main aims of rationality.
High karma seems to me to be about being on board with LW orthodoxy, articulating that clearly in posts and comments and supporting the aims of the group.
The criticism you proffer has been made independently several times. The usual answer is that cogent, intelligent criticism that shows familiarity with the premises and conclusions of LW "orthodoxy" (and clearly locates its criticism as a problem with either the plausibility of a premise or the validity of an argument, or both) tends to get upvoted. You just have to show you've done your homework.
MIRI is gathering a bunch of Eliezer’s writings into a nicely-edited ebook, currently titled The Hard Part is Actually Changing Your Mind. This book will ultimately be released in various digital formats (Kindle MOBI, EPUB, and PDF). Much of the initial work for this project is complete. What we need now are volunteers to review the book's chapters to:
This project has been added to Youtopia, MIRI’s volunteer system. (Click “Register as a Volunteer” here to sign up. Already signed up? Go here.)
LW Karma Bonus
For this special project, every point earned in Youtopia will also earn you 3 karma on LW!
Points are awarded based on the amount of time spent proofreading the book. For example, an hour of work logged in Youtopia earns you 10 points, which will also get you 30 LW karma. Karma is awarded by admins in a publicly-accountable way: all manual karma additions are listed here.
Questions about this project can be directed to alexv@intelligence.org or in the comments.