Open Thread February 25 - March 3

Scott Garrabrant

If it's worth saying, but not worth its own post (even in Discussion), then it goes here.

My psychologist said today, that there is some information that should not be known. I replied that rationalists believe in reality. There might be information they don't find interesting (e.g. not all of you would find children interesting), but refusing to accept some information would mean refusing to accept some part of reality, and that would be against the belief in reality.

Since I have been recently asking myself the question "why do I believe what I believe" and "what would happen if I believed otherwise than what I believe" (I'm still pondering if I should post my cogitations: they interesting, but somewhat private) I asked the question "what would happen if rationalists believed otherwise than what they believe". The problem is that this is such a backwards description that I can't imagine the answer. Is the answer simply "they would be normal people, like my psychologist"? Or is it a deeper question?

(I'm still pondering if I should post my cogitations: they interesting, but somewhat private)

So information that shouldn't be known?

2Viliam_Bur12y

They wouldn't be rationalists anymore, duh. Taboo "rationalists": What would happen if you stopped trying to change your map to better reflect the territory? It most probably would reflect the territory less. [...] "Normal people" are not all the same. (For example, many "normal people" are unlike your psychologist.) Which of the many subkinds of the "normal people" do you mean? Some things are unrelated. For example, let's suppose that you are a rationalist, and you also have a broken leg. That's two things that make you different from the average human. But those two things are unrelated. It would be a mistake to think -- an average human doesn't have a broken leg; by giving up my rationality I will become more similar to the average human, therefore giving up my rationality will heal my leg. Replace "broken leg" with whatever problem you are discussing with your psychologist. Do you have evidence that rational people are more likely to have this specific problem than irrational (but otherwise similar: same social background, same education, same character, same health problems) people?

-2polymathwannabe12y

Your psychologist's job is to help you learn to live in the real world. Advocacy of selective ignorance is highly suspect.

13

Open Thread February 25 - March 3

13

If it's worth saying, but not worth its own post (even in Discussion), then it goes here.

13

13

Open Thread February 25 - March 3

13

If it's worth saying, but not worth its own post (even in Discussion), then it goes here.

13