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Clarity comments on How to learn a new area X that you have no idea about. - Less Wrong Discussion

12 Post author: Elo 18 August 2015 05:42AM

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Comment author: Elo 20 August 2015 02:51:27PM *  0 points [-]

Edit2: thank you for your kind support! I found it good feedback :)

It has given me cause to have some concerns arising from you finding it useful.

The reason is - From interacting with you over the lesswrong site; I don't evaluate your opinion to be mainstream in society; or even mainstream within Lesswrong (to make this clear; thats a good thing for you). The concern is that you may be effectively a, "canary in the coal mine" kind of indication that I have not done what I set out to do in writing this.

I have two theories as to why you found it useful:

  1. you happened to need it and I provided it at an opportune time.

  2. This guide is not actually helpful to the boring ordinary humans; or the more-frequent-in-number and less-often-expressive lesswrong user.

I am glad you found it useful; but also I want to not deluding myself that this was helpful to many people if it was not. I expect it will lower the chance of me making more things like this if it is not helpful to the broader slice of people.

Can you perhaps enlighten me on your thoughts on 1 & 2?

Edit: for making my statement more clear.

Comment author: Clarity 21 August 2015 10:43:21AM 0 points [-]

thanks for the feedback

re theory 1. doesn't conflict with any of my intuitions

re theory 2. I don't find that my preference for something as expressed on LessWrong predictably implies a contrarian opinion?