Comment on Strong intutions. Weak arguments. What to do?

Fri, 11 May 2012 09:37:46 GMT

Here's one suggestion: focus on the causes of the intuition.

So, what is the origin of intuitions about things like AI and the future performance of machines...? (I'll just note that I've seen a little evidence that young children are also vitalists.)

I've posted about that (as Dmytry), the belief propagation graph (which shows what paths can't be the cause of intuitions due to too long propagation delay), that was one of the things which convinced me that trying to explain anything to LW is a waste of time, and that critique without explanation is more effective because explanatory critique gets rationalized away, while the critique of the form "you suck" makes people think (a little) what caused the impression in question and examine themselves somewhat, in the way in which they don't if they are given actual, detailed explanation.

Discuss