I think the worry is that discussing politics runs the risk of creating tribalism, which would severely damage our ability to discuss the other topics.
How is politics defined with LW? My current understanding is that discussing the goal-system of an FAI can be considered politics. After all an FAI would be ruling, making decisions while running the universe. What difference is there between a health-care debate, or to wage war against some country versus the implementation of CEV over any other goal-system and the possible suppression of any alien civilisation or other potential minds?
If you consider creating a fooming AI a political act, which I think is reasonable given its consequences, then you not o...
There is a tendency to downvote articles and commentaries with a political subtext with a remark on how politics is the mind-killer. I completely understand that nobody wants his mind to be killed, however, I disagree on the employed methods. I don't think anybody can really afford to ignore politics. It's a fact about any group of even a handful of people. Thus instead of shunning politics I think it's better to build one's rational defenses. Understanding that politics is a problem is only the first step. If you stop there, there will always be a big part of life where you are not rational. Therefore I suggest that, as long as it doesn't get out of hands, there should always be room for political discussions if not on the main site at least in the discussion section.