Joseph_Knecht comments on Einstein's Superpowers - Less Wrong

30 Post author: Eliezer_Yudkowsky 30 May 2008 06:40AM

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Comment author: Joseph_Knecht 31 May 2008 12:21:23AM 0 points [-]

Personally, I don't there is a trick, and I don't think he's keeping it private for those reasons. I think his method, if something so obvious (which is not to say easy) can be called a method, is to discuss the issue and interact with the person long enough to build up a model of the person, what he values and fears most, and then probe for weaknesses & biases where that individual seems most susceptible, and follow those weaknesses -- again and again.

I think most, perhaps all, of us, unless we put our fingers in our ears and refuse to honestly engage, are capable of being convinced by a skilled interlocutor who has MUCH more experience thinking about the issue than we do.

Of course, I could be wrong, and there could be some argument that would convince me in minutes, or there could be some trick, but I'd be very surprised if so.