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DeVliegendeHollander comments on In memory of Leonard Nimoy, most famous for playing the (straw) rationalist Spock, what are your top 3 ST:TOS episodes with him? - Less Wrong Discussion

10 Post author: shminux 27 February 2015 08:57PM

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Comment author: [deleted] 06 March 2015 02:12:01PM *  2 points [-]

I don't consider him a rationalist character. He is always hung up about what is logical, as opposed to what is observably right.

Uhura: Mr. Spock, sometimes I think if I hear that word "frequency" again, I'll cry.

Spock: It is illogical for a communications officer to resent the word "frequency."

What kind of answer is that? "Too bad you dislike your job?" A rationalist answer would have been something along the lines of "Can you explain why, maybe we can find out what went wrong with your feelings and find a way to fix them or work them around?"

There is a difference between rationality and smartassery.

Comment author: gjm 06 March 2015 03:32:48PM *  3 points [-]

Hence "(straw)" in the title. See e.g. this summary of a talk by Julia Galef about the difference between being a Straw Vulcan (memetic hazard warning: TVTropes) and being an actual practitioner of rationality.

[EDITED to link to the LW article that has a transcript of the original talk an a link to the YouTube video.]

Comment author: Vaniver 06 March 2015 05:24:23PM 0 points [-]

What kind of answer is that?

One that, presumably, would make Uhura cry.