Lumifer comments on Rationality Quotes Thread September 2015 - Less Wrong

3 Post author: elharo 02 September 2015 09:25AM

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Comment author: Lumifer 03 September 2015 04:19:24AM 0 points [-]

but trying for consensus for the sake of consensus

I think the aim is not consensus, but consistency. If two camps hold irreconcilable views, one of them is wrong and it's highly useful to know which one. The fact that both views have some domains where they seem to work better than the other is not a good excuse.

Comment author: VoiceOfRa 04 September 2015 01:38:05AM 0 points [-]

I think the aim is not consensus, but consistency.

Consistency with what. If you mean consistency with the truth, I agree. However, the context talks about consistency among expert positions, which is what is normally called consensus. Downvoted for introducing terminology for seemingly no purpose other than to confuse the issue.

If two camps hold irreconcilable views, one of them is wrong and it's highly useful to know which one.

True, however, pushing for consensus or consistency will not tell you which one is wrong. Rather it will result in one of them being declared "wrong", not necessarily the one that actually is.

The fact that both views have some domains where they seem to work better than the other is not a good excuse.

Ok, did you mean to write this in reply to some other comment?

Comment author: Lumifer 04 September 2015 01:44:59AM 2 points [-]

Consistency with what

Internal consistency of the science as a body of knowledge. "Consistency with the truth" is better expressed by the simple adjective "true".

It's not consensus either. Consistency is a property of a theory (or a set of theories). Consensus is a property of a set of experts.

pushing for consensus or consistency will not tell you which one is wrong

No, but it will provide impetus and motivation to find out which one is wrong.

Comment author: [deleted] 07 September 2015 08:10:14PM 0 points [-]

If two camps hold irreconcilable views, one of them is wrong and it's highly useful to know which one.

Unless of course you're operating in a situation best modelled by paraconsistent logic.

But finding that out would require looking.

Comment author: Lumifer 08 September 2015 12:57:35AM 3 points [-]

Unless of course you're operating in a situation best modelled by paraconsistent logic.

Would you care to provide some examples along with arguments why paraconsistent logic is the best way to model them?