Username comments on Pattern-botching: when you forget you understand - Less Wrong

31 Post author: malcolmocean 15 June 2015 10:58PM

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Comment author: Username 27 June 2015 10:41:19PM *  0 points [-]

So from a training wheels perspective, we might totally eradicate words like "should". I did this! It was really helpful. But once I had removed the word from my idiolect, it became unhelpful to still be treating it as being a touchy word. Then I heard my mentor use it, and I remembered that the point of removing the word wasn't to not ever use it, but to train my brain to think without a particular structure that "should" represented.

I tried this as well. I spent a year not using words like "should" and "fault". I then went back to using them when I started my full-time job because those words are too useful, and I regressed, at least partially, to my old way of thinking.

Old patterns come back if you're not careful. The training wheel metaphor is likely counterproductive here.

Comment author: malcolmocean 02 July 2015 08:14:32PM *  1 point [-]

Ahh, I think that the context shift was probably a huge issue. I mostly hang out with people who also eschew "should"—either my intentional community or people who read blog posts like these ones of Nate's:

"Should" considered harmful
Your "shoulds" are not a duty
Not because you "should"

I think the training wheel metaphor isn't perfect... it's maybe more like this bicycle.