Having a computer scientist apply his narrow cognitive framework to larger questions is interesting in its way: after all, this isn't rocket science, and every thinking person has a chance of saying something insightful that the experts missed.

But what's most interesting about this engagement with the larger questions is that the author, really a near thinker, applies that thinking to far topics. This shouldn't disturb Robin Hanson, who specializes in defending the general superiority of near thought—the merits of the modes itself a far question—by means of near thinking.

The defects of the near impression that the billionaires don't wield political power is an example of the perils of modal mismatch (far subjects addressed with overly near tools). Today, when each candidate has his own billionaire keeping him afloat, even near thinking would repudiate the conclusion.

This application of near thinking to the farther reaches of politics characterizes the libertarianism both Hanson and EY espouse—and libertarianism generally. EY's inclination to exclude political issues as "mind killing" might be a safeguard against the risk of the nerds populating LW pretending they're eggheads, but for EY's gravitation to other far questions (e.g., planning for the "singularity"), which is subject to the same liability when handled by one gifted exclusively in near thinking.