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VoiceOfRa comments on Open thread, Oct. 5 - Oct. 11, 2015 - Less Wrong Discussion

7 Post author: MrMind 05 October 2015 06:50AM

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Comment author: polymathwannabe 14 October 2015 12:53:55PM -1 points [-]

If you focus on labels instead of on individuals, you're a bigot.

If your treatment of people is based on tribal allegiances, real or imagined, instead of what they've actually done, you're a bigot.

If you already have an opinion on someone you've just met, based on appearances only, before you've bothered getting to know them, you're a bigot.

If you blame an entire category of people for the actions of select outliers, you're a bigot.

If you believe all members of an arbitrarily defined category of people behave the same way or think the same way or can be expected to respond in the same way, you're a bigot.

If there's a group of people you especially like to hate, you're a bigot.

If you're an identity essentialist, you're a bigot.

If you believe there are "superior" and "inferior" classes of people, you're an über bigot.

Comment author: VoiceOfRa 14 October 2015 08:44:20PM 4 points [-]

If you already have an opinion on someone you've just met, based on appearances only, before you've bothered getting to know them, you're a bigot.

This is what Baysian logic requires that you do.

If you believe all members of an arbitrarily defined category of people behave the same way or think the same way or can be expected to respond in the same way, you're a bigot.

I don't believe I've seen anyone do this. (Hint: sex, race, religion, etc., aren't arbitrary categories).

If there's a group of people you especially like to hate, you're a bigot.

I have murderers and child-molesters.

If you're an identity essentialist, you're a bigot.

Ok, now define "identity essentialism", I'm have a hard time coming up with a definition that's not largely true.

If you believe there are "superior" and "inferior" classes of people, you're an über bigot.

Does it matter if this is actually true for the metric under discussion.

Comment author: Good_Burning_Plastic 18 October 2015 10:18:16AM *  1 point [-]

This is what Baysian logic requires that you do.

Only for such a broad value of "opinion" that Bayesian logic requires you to have an opinion about the number of apples in a tree you haven't seen.

Comment author: VoiceOfRa 18 October 2015 04:38:04PM *  4 points [-]

I take it you never interact with people you haven't interacted with before.

Comment author: Good_Burning_Plastic 19 October 2015 07:45:21AM -2 points [-]

Sometimes I do, but then I update my beliefs about them based on the evidence (or at least I try to -- I'm not a Platonic spherical perfectly rational being). In any event, even with people I haven't interacted with before I usually have more information than "appearances only", e.g. where we are, who introduced us to each other, and whether I have already heard of them before.

Comment author: VoiceOfRa 19 October 2015 10:12:03AM 6 points [-]

Assuming someone introduced you and this isn't someone you're passing on the street.

Comment author: Good_Burning_Plastic 19 October 2015 07:16:24PM *  0 points [-]

I was assuming that by "interact" in the great-grandparent you meant more substantive stuff than passing each other on the street. If you weren't, my point still stands: Bayesian logic requires one to have an opinion about strangers passing in the street, but only in the way it requires one to have an opinion about the triple point pressure of copper.

Comment author: VoiceOfRa 21 October 2015 12:55:32PM 3 points [-]

I was assuming that by "interact" in the great-grandparent you meant more substantive stuff than passing each other on the street.

And hope they don't mug you as you do, for starters.

Comment author: Good_Burning_Plastic 23 October 2015 08:10:18PM 0 points [-]

I somehow doubt that "opinion" in "If you already have an opinion on someone you've just met, based on appearances only, before you've bothered getting to know them" was meant to include stuff as vague as "they're probably not going to mug me", but whatevs -- tapping out.

Comment author: Good_Burning_Plastic 18 October 2015 10:20:59AM -2 points [-]

religion, etc., aren't arbitrary categories

Religion does sound pretty arbitrary to me.

Comment author: polymathwannabe 14 October 2015 09:36:34PM *  -2 points [-]

now define "identity essentialism"

sex, race, religion, etc., aren't arbitrary categories

There you go.

Comment author: VoiceOfRa 14 October 2015 10:15:49PM 4 points [-]

Ok, except this definition makes "identity essentialism" true.

Comment author: polymathwannabe 14 October 2015 10:46:46PM *  -1 points [-]

sex, race, religion, etc., aren't arbitrary categories

Evidence?

Comment author: Lumifer 14 October 2015 11:19:19PM *  4 points [-]

Don't be silly.

Comment author: Good_Burning_Plastic 17 October 2015 07:38:38PM -1 points [-]

If you believe all members of an arbitrarily defined category of people behave the same way or think the same way or can be expected to respond in the same way, you're a bigot.

I don't believe I've seen anyone do this. (Hint: sex, race, religion, etc., aren't arbitrary categories).

Well, it's not like all member of the same sex/race/religion/etc. behave the same way or think the same way or can be expected to respond in the same way, either.

Comment author: VoiceOfRa 18 October 2015 03:41:16AM 2 points [-]

Not all, but most and their responses can be more similar than you'd think.

Comment author: Good_Burning_Plastic 18 October 2015 10:06:23AM -2 points [-]

How do you know how similar I'd think their responses can be?