In response to Fake Morality
Comment author: Tom3 09 November 2007 07:39:22PM 4 points [-]

Jacob Stein:

"Are religious societies better? Cannibals and Satanists, perhaps not, but it's a tough call. Orthodox Jews, Quakers, Mennonites, probably yes."

Well Jacob it's just such a coincidence that you'd say that, because I am a cannibal satanist! Cool, right?

Anyway, the reason I bring it up is you say that Orthodox Jews and the like have better societies, but you are a jew, aren't you? (There's probably a bias or something there, I dunno). But since I think (to paraphrase Selfreferencing) that we're naturally motivated to seek Satan and that those who are not have been corrupted by sin and rebellion, I would much rather live among fine, upstanding flesh-eating devil-fearing folks like myself.

You see, Satan is the source of good as the south pole is the source of southness. Without him, I would just have to copy the morality of the rest of society or use my own faculties of reason and intuition - but then I wouldn't know that it was good to eat babies and have sex with goats! It hardly bears thinking about. I mean, it's a matter of faith, isn't it? Can't argue with that.

Comment author: Tom3 08 November 2007 03:38:59AM 4 points [-]

This thread has more trolls than The Lord Of The Rings.

Comment author: Tom3 19 October 2007 11:36:06PM 0 points [-]

"Congratulations, Paris. I look forward to meeting you someday.

Posted by Eliezer Yudkowsky"

Pffff hahahaha

Comment author: Tom3 08 October 2007 10:31:33AM 2 points [-]

Greatest OB discussion thread ever.

Comment author: Tom3 01 October 2007 06:57:00PM 2 points [-]

Irrationality by Stuart Sutherland is pretty much this blog in book form.

Comment author: Tom3 31 August 2007 09:45:55PM 2 points [-]

This is all very zen. Do you have buddhist sympathies, Eliezer?

Comment author: Tom3 25 March 2007 01:08:31PM 4 points [-]

I would say:

"To understand recursion, you must first understand recursion."

Find the meta level in that, Chronophone!

Comment author: Tom3 23 March 2007 10:44:22PM 14 points [-]

I would make an argument for the importance of space exploration and colonisation, on the assumption that in Archimedes' time this would be heard as an argument in favour of naval expansion. Since the greeks were seafaring people anyway, Archimedes might be convinced to push for a great greek colonisation program. Who knows? They could reach the far east, or even the americas. The age of global trade might begin two thousand years earlier.

View more: Prev