dclayh comments on Open Thread: June 2009 - Less Wrong

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

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Comment author: dclayh 04 June 2009 05:18:14AM *  3 points [-]

For me, any (serious) talk of "overanalyzing" or "overthinking" things would be a huge red flag. But maybe I'm unusual in that.

Comment author: Alicorn 04 June 2009 05:23:21AM *  0 points [-]

Using the word "overanalysis" isn't always a red flag for unwillingness to analyze where appropriate. Sometimes it just means recognizing that it is not worth six hours of nutrition research and blind taste tests to decide what cereal is the optimal breakfast. In a pinch, you can just grab the generic crisped rice or a prettily-packaged granola and call it good.

Comment author: dclayh 04 June 2009 05:43:50AM *  5 points [-]

Of course. To clarify a bit, it's obviously possible to give things more thought than they deserve. But someone who habitually makes accusations of overthinking, to my mind, is indicating a contempt for thought itself, which is about the most horrible quality I can think of. (I believe I first came to this conclusion when I read this webcomic, though on looking back at it I'm not sure.)

Comment author: saturn 05 June 2009 08:04:21AM *  0 points [-]

Some people just aren't very good at getting right answers through deliberate reasoning, but can get by using implicit reasoning. Combine that with the typical mind fallacy and you get someone who sees "overthinking" everywhere they look. But I think the problem here isn't so much about these implicit reasoners, but rather about contemptuous people in general, with contemptuous implicit reasoners as a special case.