tog comments on Common sense as a prior - LessWrong

33 Post author: Nick_Beckstead 11 August 2013 06:18PM

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Comment author: tog 11 August 2013 09:41:31PM *  1 point [-]

Can you expand a little on how you would "try to find out what elite common sense would make of [your] information and analysis"? Is the following a good example of how to do it?

  • Imagine there's an economic policy issue about which most members of the elite (say the top 10% of Ivy League grads) haven't thought, and which they'd have no initial position on.
  • All I'm aware of is a theoretical economics argument for position A; I don't know of any counters, arguments on the other side, etc.
  • I find as representative a sample of the elite as I can and tell them the argument.
  • The vast majority move rapidly to significant confidence in position A.
  • I adopt a similar perspective.
Comment author: Nick_Beckstead 12 August 2013 11:23:19AM 0 points [-]

Yes.