pjeby comments on Open Thread: June 2009 - Less Wrong

4 Post author: Cyan 01 June 2009 06:46PM

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Comment author: pjeby 01 June 2009 10:05:13PM 13 points [-]

Would you even care enough to respond?

Anticipating critics and responses to them is largely a waste of time, if they are determined to be against you. Whatever you say will only be fodder for the next attack, and you are wasting precious time and energy being pinned down by their fire.

What we want is responses for people who are not the critics, but may have heard the critics' arguments. That's a considerably less-demanding audience.

Comment author: Eliezer_Yudkowsky 01 June 2009 11:13:02PM 7 points [-]

What we want is responses for people who are not the critics, but may have heard the critics' arguments.

This is a key distinction which all rationalists trying to talk to the public should keep in mind in all places at all times.