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hankx7787 comments on One thousand tips do not make a system - Less Wrong Discussion

44 [deleted] 30 November 2012 05:38AM

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Comment author: chaosmage 30 November 2012 12:08:55PM *  9 points [-]

The people who excel at Starcraft don't do it because they follow explicit systems. They do it mostly by practice (duh) and by listening to the advice of people like Day[9].

Day9 is the best-known Starcraft II commenter, with many YouTube videos (here's a random example) and many millions of views. He occasionally does explain systems (or subsystems really) for playing, but what I think he mostly does right is that

  • he entertains and engages his audience really well,
  • he evidently knows what he's talking about,
  • he is relentlessly positive and has a good video about that,
  • he exudes total confidence that luck has almost nothing to do with your results,
  • he can talk way better than anyone I've ever heard talk about rationality and
  • he is easy to like, and easy to want to be like.

I may be missing something, but I think this is most of what he does so right about teaching what he teaches. Anyway, my point is clear: We don't need systems, we need a Day[9] of rationality.

AIs may need systems. We aren't AIs.

Comment author: hankx7787 01 December 2012 12:03:47AM *  0 points [-]

Good point, but there are many advantages to systematizing as much as possible our knowledge of practical rationality, generally speaking, so they certainly aren't mutually exclusive approaches.