Konkvistador comments on Open thread for December 17-23, 2013 - Less Wrong

5 Post author: ciphergoth 17 December 2013 08:45PM

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Comment author: [deleted] 24 December 2013 04:34:33PM * 5 points [-]

I only used "Cthulhu always swims left" because that is how army1987 termed it. Moldbug says "Cthulhu may swim slowly. But he only swims left."

Comment author: satt 24 December 2013 04:58:37PM 2 points [-]

That formulation has the same problem. Like "always swims left", "only swims left" suggests that every observed movement is leftwards.

Comment author: Randy_M 27 December 2013 05:32:18PM 2 points [-]

Unless there is an implicit distinction between purposeful movement, analogous to swiming, and some drift due to chance.

Comment author: satt 30 December 2013 06:13:11PM 1 point [-]

I doubt most people who read the phrase "Cthulhu only swims left" would pick up on that unspoken distinction, though I could be wrong.

Comment author: [deleted] 30 December 2013 06:47:42PM 0 points [-]

(I've corrected it now.)