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CuSithBell comments on What is the best programming language? - Less Wrong Discussion
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Comments (98)
I eagerly await the most rational toothpaste thread.
I think it has been mentioned before, but it bears repeating, please don't use "most rational" in titles. Just ask for the best programming language and describe your needs.
"Rational" is so frequently used as a contentless word that, if I were to have a comment keyword blacklist, it'd be number two on there, right after "status", perhaps followed by "downvote me". Unless you're talking meta (as in the parent comment), I strongly recommend trying to figure out what you actually mean, and use that word. "Rationality" ain't the goal.
Usually when I say status I actually mean status. It's a valid, coherent and useful abstraction. Reducing all uses of the term to component parts would require writing paragraphs or essays all over the place and in general be a stupid thing to do.
As evidenced by the presence of "downvote me" on the list, my problem with each term is not necessarily the same.
Briefly, I expect people talking about status to be worrying about trivialities, providing facile explanations, or stopping at an overabstraction while thinking they understand a complex issue.
I expect people requesting downvotes to be A) nutty, possibly conspiracy theorists, and B) over-concerned with the karma system.
It is certainly a word that I have seen used as a curiosity stopper.