You're looking at Less Wrong's discussion board. This includes all posts, including those that haven't been promoted to the front page yet. For more information, see About Less Wrong.

Algernoq comments on Why I Am Not a Rationalist, or, why several of my friends warned me that this is a cult - Less Wrong Discussion

12 Post author: Algernoq 13 July 2014 05:54PM

You are viewing a comment permalink. View the original post to see all comments and the full post content.

Comments (192)

You are viewing a single comment's thread. Show more comments above.

Comment author: Luke_A_Somers 20 July 2014 06:28:14PM *  0 points [-]

Here's the problem with your attempting to apply Motte and Bailey to that:

If challenged on those other things, we do not reply that 'rationalism is just science/reason helps people be right, how could you possibly oppose it?' Well, except for the last, which really seems like that actually addresses the problem.

So, it's just a perfectly ordinary (and acceptable) sequence of progressively more controversial claims, and not a Motte-and-Bailey system.

Comment author: Algernoq 21 July 2014 10:02:34PM 1 point [-]

Different members act as different parts of the motte and bailey: some argue for extreme things; others say those extreme things are not "real" Rationalism

Comment author: Luke_A_Somers 22 July 2014 02:57:51PM 0 points [-]

That structure makes it not motte and bailey - the motte must be friendly to the bailey, not hostile to it!