William_Quixote comments on Rationality Quotes Thread May 2015 - Less Wrong

9 Post author: Vaniver 01 May 2015 02:31PM

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Comment author: Salemicus 07 May 2015 05:13:44PM *  9 points [-]

The idiot who praises, with enthusiastic tone,

All centuries but this and every country but his own.

W.S. Gilbert, in The Mikado.

Comment author: William_Quixote 13 May 2015 01:57:42PM 2 points [-]

I will note that you can't improve the past and have limited ability to improve other countries. So criticism of those won't lead to anything useful. Critical views of where you are right now can lead to effective action. So I don't know if the pattern being criticized is a bad pattern

Comment author: RobFack 26 June 2015 11:48:40PM 0 points [-]

Talking at length about the good old days is hardly a way to make progress on local problems.