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Emile comments on How Greedy Bastards Have Saved More Lives Than Mother Theresa Ever Did - Less Wrong Discussion

14 Post author: waitingforgodel 03 December 2010 06:20AM

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Comment author: Emile 03 December 2010 11:19:38AM *  5 points [-]

Some people might not even read it (because they assume they already know it's full of ideological drivel saying nothing they haven't heard a dozen times before), or argue against it based on the title and not the contents (which is unfotunately common on the internet).

That being said, I don't mind the essay title that much, I was just chiming in saying "I got that impression too", and somehow found myself arguing for a point I didn't necessarily support in the first place. How did that happen?

A: your title gives impression X!
B: yep, I got impression X too.
C: giving impression X isn't necessarily bad.
B: (has to say something) um, yes it is!

Damn faulty brain. Couldn't it use better criteria for choosing which position to support?

Comment author: sketerpot 05 December 2010 09:08:29PM *  2 points [-]

Some people might not even read it (because they assume they already know it's full of ideological drivel saying nothing they haven't heard a dozen times before), or argue against it based on the title and not the contents (which is unfotunately common on the internet).

I don't dispute that. The real question here is, will the title attract more readers than a more descriptive, less Objectivist-sounding title? I suspect that it will; titles like this are called "linkbait" for a reason.

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