lmm comments on Rationality Quotes Thread March 2015 - Less Wrong

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

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Comment author: Vulture 18 March 2015 02:32:21PM 5 points [-]

Suppose I think, after doing my accounts, that I have a large balance at the bank. And suppose you want to find out whether this belief of mine is "wishful thinking." You can never come to any conclusion by examining my psychological condition. Your only chance of finding out is to sit down and work through the sum yourself.

-- C. S. Lewis

Comment author: lmm 20 March 2015 09:20:19PM 1 point [-]

This seems obviously false. Am I missing something?

Comment author: g_pepper 21 March 2015 11:45:34PM *  5 points [-]

I think that C.S. Lewis means that when a person puts forth an assertion, you should ascertain the truth of falsity of the assertion by examining the assertion alone; the mental state of the person making the assertion is irrelevant.

Presumably Lewis is arguing against the genetic fallacy, or more specifically, Bulverism.

Edit: Why the downvote? My comment was fairly non-controversial (I thought).

Comment author: Jiro 22 March 2015 02:13:54AM -2 points [-]

Whether a belief is wishful thinking is inherently an assertion about the mental state of a person. It is meaningless to say that you should examine the assertion instead of the mental state, since the assertion is an assertion about the mental state.

Comment author: g_pepper 22 March 2015 03:49:49AM 2 points [-]

I don't know about that. Merriam Webster defines wishful thinking as:

an attitude or belief that something you want to happen will happen even though it is not likely or possible

So if my calculations are accurate, per Merriam Webster's definition, I have not engaged in wishful thinking.

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