TheAncientGeek comments on Self-Congratulatory Rationalism - Less Wrong

51 Post author: ChrisHallquist 01 March 2014 08:52AM

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Comment author: TheAncientGeek 18 August 2015 07:37:28AM 0 points [-]

The PoC tends to be advised in the context of philosophy, where there is a background assumption of infinite amounts of time to consider things, The resource-constrained version would be to interpret comments charitably once you have, for whatever reason, got into a discussion....with the corollary of reserving some space for "I might be wrong" where you haven't had the resources to test the hypothesis.

Comment author: Lumifer 18 August 2015 02:20:53PM *  0 points [-]

background assumption of infinite amounts of time to consider things

LOL. While ars may be longa, vita is certainly brevis. This is a silly assumption, better suited for theology, perhaps -- it, at least, promises infinte time. :-)

If I were living in English countryside around XVIII century I might have had a different opinion on the matter, but I do not.

interpret comments charitably once you have, for whatever reason, got into a discussion

It's not a binary either-or situation. I am willing to interpret comments charitably according to my (updateable) prior of how knowledgeable, competent, and reasonable the writer is. In some situations I would stop and ponder, in others I would roll my eyes and move on.

Comment author: TheAncientGeek 19 August 2015 06:50:35AM 0 points [-]

Users report that charitable interpretation gives you more evidence for updating than you would have otherwise.

Comment author: TheAncientGeek 25 August 2015 09:40:44AM 0 points [-]

Are you already optimal? How do you know?