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sixes_and_sevens comments on Group Rationality Diary, May 1-15 - Less Wrong Discussion
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I've made a moderately bold decision that I haven't started to regret yet: I'm going to read an undergrad textbook on every subject I claim to be interested in. My main hope for this is mapping out my own ignorance. It's extremely annoying when armchair-experts talk erroneously about subjects from a position of imaginary authority, and I don't wish to be one of those people. It should produce a useful line of demarcation: if I haven't read an undergrad textbook in a subject, I'm definitely unqualified to say what that subject does and does not contain.
If nothing else, it will at least teach me what I'm genuinely interested in, and what I only claim to be interested in.
(Also, yes, I've seen Luke's best-textbooks-on-every-subject post from two years ago.)
I've achieved that mostly by reducing the number of fields I claim to be interested in, rather than by increasing the number of textbooks that I read.
Admirable. Please consider including "successfully finished most of the exercises" in the definition of "read".
I tend to do enough of the exercises to satisfy myself that I understand the concepts behind them. The exact amount varies from subject to subject.
The quickest solution is probably to not speak from a position of authority, or to practice adjusting our style of speech to match our actual level of authority.
Also, usually the annoying part about people who "speak with authority" is the arrogance, not the confidence. One can be confident without being arrogant, and one can (surprisingly) be arrogant without being confident.
You speak with a suspicious quantity of authority on this subject...
You've inspired me to do the same. :)