manuelg comments on Every Cause Wants To Be A Cult - Less Wrong

41 Post author: Eliezer_Yudkowsky 12 December 2007 03:04AM

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Comment author: manuelg 12 December 2007 07:08:39PM 5 points [-]

> "Resist against being human" is an interesting choice of words. Surely, most people would not see that as a goal worth pursuing.

Nominull nailed it on the head, Eliezer. What are the human qualities worth amplifying, and what are the human qualities worth suppressing?

For myself, "cultishness" is definitely a human group failure mode.

To others, maybe "cultishness" is a comfortable state of being, like relaxing in a warm bath. (Partake in the vivid imagery of a group of nude people in a drowsy state soaking in their collective body-temperature urea solution...)

I assert that the choice of what elements of humanity are worthy, and what are unworthy, is completely personal and subjective. I would be interested in seeing the argument for the differentiation being objective. Is there an objective criteria for what elements of humanity are worthy, and what are unworthy?

A different point: You really demonstrate the value of blogging and independently developing a stable of ideas, and then being able to reference those ideas with terminology backed up by a hyperlink. I am constantly rereading your posts as you link back to them, and it is interesting and profitable.