= 27d567bc2d48d9f40e9ccc20ea370b15)
AndHisHorse comments on Rationality Quotes May 2014 - Less Wrong
You are viewing a comment permalink. View the original post to see all comments and the full post content.
= 783df68a0f980790206b9ea87794c5b6)
Loading…= b715d02e85f7b3b4ae65ca3d3e450868)
Subscribe to RSS Feed
Powered by Reddit
= f037147d6e6c911a85753b9abdedda8d)
You are viewing a comment permalink. View the original post to see all comments and the full post content.
Comments (294)
Trivially true, and the meaning is ambiguous depending on the meaning of "good" (skilled/frequent at losing? able to handle losing without psychological distress? capable of pulling some benefit out of a "loss"?). Is there context which might illuminate the connotation?
There's probably cultural context you're missing (I'm guessing you're not a native English speaker, or at least non-American.), because it's pretty straightforward from here without any textual context.
A "good loser" is idiomatically someone who can accept defeat graciously (i.e. not get bitter or angry at the opponent). The quote says that anyone who doesn't get offended by their own losses won't improve and will remain a loser.
If you get offended by losing, that's not an incentive to improve beyond a pretty low threshold. It's an incentive to avoid tough competition and remain a medium-sized fish in a tiny pond.
I actually am a native, American English speaker, and while I am aware that the common usage refers to somebody who is able to handle loss without taking offense, I did not rest on the assumption that the common usage was the relevant usage here. I would consider the meaning of the quote given the common usage inaccurate, as I find the implication that a gracious loser is necessarily an unmotivated loser incorrect. Therefore, I left open the possibility that the quote might use a less common meaning of the term "good loser".
The speaker is a football guy, if that helps. But yes, I also find it a distasteful remark. You can improve without being in poor form in front of others (or even in private, really). And it's pretty rare to literally NEVER lose.
I think being a good loser is more than that. Not investing more resources into a losing project because of the sunk cost bias is on of the things is a skill that makes someone a good loser.
It's true if you think that winning arbitrary competitions is iimportant , and false if you can place things in wider context. Consider losing to your boss.