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TheOtherDave comments on Open thread, Dec. 1 - Dec. 7, 2014 - Less Wrong Discussion

3 Post author: MrMind 01 December 2014 08:29AM

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Comment author: TheOtherDave 03 December 2014 05:49:57PM 0 points [-]

Often none.

For example, if a piece of evidence E is such that:
- I ought to, in response to it, update my confidence in some belief B by some amount A, but
- I in fact update my confidence in B by A2,
and updating by A2 gets me further from justified confidence than I started out, then to the extent that I value justified confidence in propositions I was better off without E.

Incidentally, this is also what I understood RowanE to be referring to as well.

Comment author: FrameBenignly 03 December 2014 09:01:53PM 1 point [-]

But it's only bad because you made the mistake of updating by A2. I often notice a different problem of people to always argue A=0 and then present alternative belief C with no evidence. On some issues, we can't get a great A, but if the best evidence available points to B we should still assume it's B.

Comment author: TheOtherDave 03 December 2014 11:36:26PM 0 points [-]

it's only bad because you made the mistake of updating by A2

Agreed.

if the best evidence available points to B we should still assume it's B

Agreed.

I often notice a different problem of people to always argue A=0 and then present alternative belief C with no evidence.

Yes, I notice that too, and I agree both that it's a problem, and that it's a different problem.