Chris_Leong

Decoupling vs Contextualizing Norms

John Nerst: "To a contextualizer, decouplers’ ability to fence off any threatening implications looks like a lack of empathy for those threatened, while to a decoupler, the contextualizer's insistence that this isn’t possible looks like naked bias and an inability to think straight"[1]. A cultural divide A particularly thorny—yet very common—way for a discussion to break down is when participants strongly disagree about the correct scope of a discussion. If neither side is willing to compromise, progress often becomes impossible. John Nerst identifies a difference in expectations that is particularly prone to causing such issues: What these norms entail:[2] Decoupling normsPeople have a right to expect the truth of their claims to be considered on their own merits, with no obligation to pay heed to worries about the "broader context" or the "implications" of such speech. Insisting on raising these issues, despite a firm request to consider an idea in isolation, is likely a sign of careless reasoning or an attempt at deflection.Contextualizing normsBeing a responsible actor necessarily involves considering certain contextual factors and implications when deciding what kinds of statements are acceptable. Not taking these factors into account most likely reflects limited awareness, a lack of care, or even deliberate evasion — especially if the speaker ignores an explicit request. An example: Even-numbered birth year murderers Suppose data showed that people born in even-numbered years committed murders at twice the rate of the general population. Can you state this directly and, if so, must you issue a disclaimer? A decoupler would tend to see it as unreasonable to object to a direct statement of facts. Here's an example of how someone with this viewpoint might think: > Surely, as a citizen in a free society, I should just be able to state the truth directly? After all, we're adults. Additionally, we shouldn't have to issue disclaimers all the time. This kind

180May 14, 2018

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Sydney AI Safety Fellowship 2026 (Priority deadline this Sunday)

Application deadline: * Main deadline: Midnight, 7th December, Sydney time * If we have unfilled slots, we may still accept applications until the 14th of December Location: Sydney (definite); Melbourne (likely; contingent on sufficient high-quality applications) When: January/February 2026 with remote activities pre and post the main fellowship (detail further...

Dec 4, 202510

Quotes on AI and wisdom

Excepted from an upcoming post on AI and wisdom But the moral considerations, Doctor... Did you and the other scientists not stop to consider the implications of what you were creating? — Roger Robb When you see something that is technically sweet, you go ahead and do it and you...

Nov 26, 202512

Towards Humanist Superintelligence

I'm sharing this post from Mustafa Suleyman, CEO of Microsoft AI, because it's honestly quite shocking to see a post like this coming out of Microsoft. I know some people might accuse him of safety washing, but to me it comes off as an honest attempt to grapple with the...

Nov 21, 202517

Selected Graphics Showing Progress towards AGI

Except from the upcoming post: Beyond Human Wisdom: Can We Survive the Rise of AGI? Coming soon 😊(PM me if you'd be keen to provide feedback on the draft). Motivation Motivating image — View on Life Itself The 🅂🅄🅅 Triad (the challenge)🅂peed - in absolute terms and relative to the...

Oct 18, 202514

Four Quotes on Transformative Technology

Urgent: get collectively wiser - Yoshua Bengio, AI "Godfather", On the Wisdom Race Before the prospect of an intelligence explosion, we humans are like small children playing with a bomb. Such is the mismatch between the power of our plaything and the immaturity of our conduct. — Nick Bostrom, Superintelligence❦...

Aug 1, 20258

On actually taking expressions literally: tension as the key to meditation?

Some speculations based upon the Vasocomputational Theory of Mediation, meditation and some poorly understood Lakoff. Even though reading about meditation is low risk, I wouldn't necessarily assume that it is risk-free. A summer's night. Two friends have been sitting around a fire, discussing life and meaning late into the evening......

Jul 13, 202516

An Easily Overlooked Post on the Automation of Wisdom and Philosophy

This week for Wise AI Wednesdays, I'll be sharing something a bit different - the announcement post of a competion that is already over (the AI Impacts Essay competition on the Automation of Wisdom and Philosophy). If you're wondering why I'm sharing it, even though some of the specific discussion...

Jun 12, 202519

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Decoupling vs Contextualizing Norms

Notice When People Are Directionally Correct

Don't Dismiss Simple Alignment Approaches

On Destroying the World

Chris_Leong

Sydney AI Safety Fellowship 2026 (Priority deadline this Sunday)

Quotes on AI and wisdom

Towards Humanist Superintelligence

Selected Graphics Showing Progress towards AGI

Four Quotes on Transformative Technology

On actually taking expressions literally: tension as the key to meditation?

An Easily Overlooked Post on the Automation of Wisdom and Philosophy

Decoupling vs Contextualizing Norms

Notice When People Are Directionally Correct

Don't Dismiss Simple Alignment Approaches

On Destroying the World

Sydney AI Safety Fellowship 2026 (Priority deadline this Sunday)

Quotes on AI and wisdom

Towards Humanist Superintelligence

Selected Graphics Showing Progress towards AGI

Four Quotes on Transformative Technology

On actually taking expressions literally: tension as the key to meditation?

An Easily Overlooked Post on the Automation of Wisdom and Philosophy