Lumifer comments on Rationality Quotes January 2015 - Less Wrong

4 Post author: Gondolinian 01 January 2015 02:23AM

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Comment author: Lumifer 06 January 2015 06:30:00PM 3 points [-]

While a cute quote, I'm not sure it involves much (or any) rationality.

Comment author: WalterL 06 January 2015 07:04:09PM 3 points [-]

An expert declares one of his profession's social rituals to be nonsense, and explains how to get the same effect the ritual is intended to evoke through a simple physical procedure. Elegant rationalism.

Comment author: Lumifer 06 January 2015 07:06:01PM 1 point [-]

Alternatively, the quote says that signaling is worthless and only the application of brute force matters. Not quite as elegant.

Comment author: MarkusRamikin 06 January 2015 07:28:34PM *  9 points [-]

Alternatively, he says that he doesn't need to signal his confidence... and thereby signals confidence.

Comment author: Lumifer 06 January 2015 07:39:28PM 4 points [-]

Of course, him having to actually say that signals less confidence... Say, how many turtles do you think there are on the way down? :-)

Comment author: MarkusRamikin 06 January 2015 08:10:55PM 4 points [-]

42? 3^^^3? Somewhere in there.

Comment author: polymathwannabe 06 January 2015 10:30:22PM 3 points [-]

Well, setting aside the hipster issue of trying too hard to show how much he didn't care, thereby betraying how much he actually did care, I sense there may be a link between that statement and the nameless twelfth virtue ("Whenever you parry, hit, spring, strike or touch the enemy’s cutting sword, you must cut the enemy in the same movement"), in that, instead of making a show for the cameras before the fight, he focused on winning the fight, which was what mattered at the end of the day.