Jiro comments on Rationality Quotes Thread March 2015 - Less Wrong

8 Post author: Vaniver 02 March 2015 11:38PM

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Comment author: Jiro 19 March 2015 05:27:09PM *  0 points [-]

No, the question was whether the "rationality quote" makes sense. I offered intelligent design as a counterexample, a case where it doesn't. Telling me that you don't think that what I described is intelligent design is a matter of semantics; its usefulness as a counterexample is not changed depending on whether it's called "intelligent design" or "American politically expedient intelligent-design-flavored product".

Comment author: Lumifer 19 March 2015 06:15:41PM 1 point [-]

I offered intelligent design as a counterexample, a case where it doesn't.

And I disagree, I think it does perfectly well.

The quote applies to actual positions, not to politically-based posturing.

Comment author: Jiro 19 March 2015 06:43:05PM *  1 point [-]

The quote applies to actual positions, not to politically-based posturing.

That dilutes the quote to the point of uselessness. Probably most positions that people take involve posturing.

But if you really want a different example, how about homeopathy? I can't construct an argument for that which is coherent in the sense that was probably intended, although I could construct an argument for that which is grammatically correct but based on falsehoods or on obviously bad reasoning.