Comment author: hwc 09 August 2012 01:21:08PM 1 point [-]

You might attract a broader audience if you removed references to Existential Risk and Transhumanism from your web page.

In response to Which College Major?
Comment author: hwc 06 February 2012 11:25:45AM 2 points [-]

I always advise in favor of a double major with one major being something sciencey and quantitative (math, natural science, engineering, computer science, et cetera) and the other being something you care about. If those categories overlap, then you have less work to do.

Comment author: hwc 31 December 2011 03:11:13PM 1 point [-]

I just donated $300 to Givewell for AMF.

Comment author: Chad2 04 October 2008 04:59:47PM 0 points [-]

"Conway's Life has been proven Turing-complete, so it would be possible to build a sentient being in the Life universe"

Bit of a leap in logic here, no?

Comment author: hwc 07 December 2011 12:39:37PM *  7 points [-]

The leap is that the Church–Turing thesis applies to human (“sentient”) cognition. Many theists deny this.

In response to comment by ChrisPine on Polyhacking
Comment author: Alicorn 28 August 2011 05:20:45PM *  24 points [-]

I have three children. Does loving one mean that the other two are not special to me?? Does a parent only have enough love for one child? Why should it be so different for lovers?

I didn't understand this line of argument before I was poly, and I don't understand it now. Yes. Of course if you have multiple children they're individually less special to you! You have less time and energy for each, less brain-space to store facts about each, and you aren't even culturally allowed to have a favorite! There's a sense in which you "love them all equally", sure, but I'd be willing to bet that something like 75% of parents would be unable to claim that under Veritaserum.

As for why it should be different for lovers, the psychology about lovers and children is very different. It's a conceit of our current sensibilities that we even use the same word to refer to how we feel about those, our siblings, our pets, and ice cream. There is no reason in principle why we couldn't have been hardwired for extreme strict romantic monogamy and still love lots of children.

In response to comment by Alicorn on Polyhacking
Comment author: hwc 30 August 2011 12:33:07PM 5 points [-]

It's a conceit of our current sensibilities that we even use the same word to refer to how we feel about those, our siblings, our pets, and ice cream.

Which is why I sometimes taboo that word and try and explain exactly how I feel about my S.O. in other, more concrete, terms.

Comment author: wedrifid 28 August 2011 10:17:13AM 16 points [-]

Though when people are immortal superbeings, I also expect it to become common that they'll spend a very long time if necessary searching for an instance of fairytale monogamy to be their first relationship.

I volunteer to be the evil villain who goes about poisoning damsels and locking them up in towers so that they role play rescues by knights in shining armor. I'll turn a few guys into beasts too in case they are feeling left out.

In response to comment by wedrifid on Polyhacking
Comment author: hwc 30 August 2011 12:16:06PM 1 point [-]

sounds like my weekend.

Comment author: hwc 05 July 2011 12:46:03PM 0 points [-]

I'm going to be out of town this week, but I'm pretty sure curiousepic will be there. Does anyone else want to commit to being there?

Comment author: hwc 07 July 2011 02:29:17AM 0 points [-]

Sound like I'm missing a good meeting. Instead I was at a party with scientists.

Comment author: hwc 05 July 2011 12:46:03PM 0 points [-]

I'm going to be out of town this week, but I'm pretty sure curiousepic will be there. Does anyone else want to commit to being there?

Meetup : Research Triangle Less Wrong Meetup

1 hwc 05 July 2011 12:26PM

Discussion article for the meetup : Research Triangle Less Wrong Meetup

WHEN: 06 July 2011 07:00:00PM (-0400)

WHERE: Caribou Coffee‎, 1406 E Franklin St, Chapel Hill, NC

Location: Caribou Coffee‎, 1406 E Franklin St, Chapel Hill, NC

Agenda: The game of Nomic. Rational discussion.

Join the mailing list! http://groups.google.com/group/RTLW

Discussion article for the meetup : Research Triangle Less Wrong Meetup

In response to Recent site changes
Comment author: hwc 26 June 2011 04:58:23PM 0 points [-]

I think I just broke the meetup submission function. Sorry.

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