Mestroyer comments on Rationality Quotes January 2014 - Less Wrong

7 Post author: Mestroyer 04 January 2014 07:39PM

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Comment author: Jayson_Virissimo 23 January 2014 09:18:50PM 2 points [-]

What are the two opposing senses you have in mind?

Comment author: Mestroyer 23 January 2014 10:34:31PM 12 points [-]

Probably written in the sense: "If you were really strong of mind, you'd will yourself into believing because I just threw an infinity into your expected value calculations", and upvoted in the sense: "Atheism is evidence of strength of mind, but it's become too common to serve as a really good test." (I know I've heard this idea on LessWrong before, I can't remember where though).

Comment author: Oligopsony 24 January 2014 02:34:16AM 4 points [-]

This, but in a more general sense for the first: Pascal thought there were a bunch of sophisticated philosophical reasons that you should be a Catholic; the Wager was just the one he's famous for.

Comment author: tut 24 January 2014 03:20:25PM 1 point [-]

You might have heard it on Ex Urbe too. Back when he wrote about Machiavelli he was linked from LW a few times, among them his discussion of what it took for somebody to be an atheist back in the renaissance.