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All of Jess_Whittlestone's Comments + Replies

Double Crux — A Strategy for Mutual Understanding
Jess_Whittlestone30

I don't think I was assuming that, but good point - there are of course lots of nuances to whether disagreements are good/bad/useful/problematic in various ways. I definitely wasn't meaning to say "disagreements are always a good thing", but rather something much weaker, like "disagreements are not always a bad thing to be avoided, and can often be a good opportunity to learn more about the world and/or your own reasons for your beliefs, and internalising this mindset more fully seems very useful."

I don't think this means we should try... (read more)

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0Lumifer
Yep, these... clarifications make the statement a lot more reasonable :-) It's just that the original unconditional claim had a lot of immediate counterexamples spring to mind, e.g.: * When there is a power disparity between the two disagreeing (e.g. arguing with cops is generally a bad idea) * When you make yourself a target (see e.g. this) * When it's just unnecessary (imagine two neighbours who get along quite well until they discover that one is a Trumper and one is a Clintonista)
Double Crux — A Strategy for Mutual Understanding
Jess_Whittlestone90

Thanks for writing this up! One thing I particularly like about this technique is that it seems to really help with getting into the mindset of seeing disagreements as good (not an unpleasant thing to be avoided), and seeing them as good for the right reasons - for learning more about the world/your own beliefs/changing your mind (not a way to assert status/dominance/offload anger etc.)

I feel genuinely excited about paying more attention to where I disagree with others and trying to find the crux of the disagreement now, in a way I didn't before reading this post.

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0sleepingthinker
Disagreements are not always bad, however what happens in the real world most of the time is that the disagreements are not based on rational thought and logic, but instead on some fluffy slogans and "feelings". People don't actually go deep into examining whether their argument makes sense and is supported by sound facts and not things like narrative fallacy. In fact, when you point out to other people that what they are saying is not supported by any logical arguments, they get even more defensive and irrational.
1Lumifer
It's interesting how you assume that disagreements are not likely to lead to bad real-world consequences.
Should you work at 80,000 Hours?
Jess_Whittlestone00

I'm not sure there's much I can say on this I'm afraid: I'm not in charge of receiving and scoring applications so I don't actually know at this stage (and even if I was I'm not sure it would be appropriate for me to post a judgement on here)

In general I'd just reiterate the point though that we do find it relatively difficult to find good people, so if you think you might fit what we're looking for, it's definitely worth applying.

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Should you work at 80,000 Hours?
Jess_Whittlestone20

Yeah, US citizens are very welcome to apply. We can fairly easily hire US citizens for internships. For permanent paid roles my understanding is that it's a bit more complicated, but definitely possible - so it just means the application will be more competitive (because we may have to pay for visas etc).

Can you clarify what exactly you mean by "what kind of applicant field are you looking at?"

You're right, I should have put in a link to the GWWC and EEA positions. Will add.

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0John_Maxwell
By "what kind of applicant field are you looking at?" I mean do you guys have a good number of relatively strong applicants already.
Welcome to Less Wrong! (July 2012)
Jess_Whittlestone90

Hi, I'm Jess. I've just graduated from Oxford with a masters degree in Mathematics and Philosophy. I'm trying to decide what to do next with my life, and graduate study in cognitive science is currently top of my list. What I'm really interested in is the application of research in human rationality, decision making and its limitations to wider issues in society, public policy etc.

I'm taking some time to challenge my intuition that I want to go into research, though, as I'm slightly concerned that I'm taking the most obvious option not knowing what else to... (read more)

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1beoShaffer
I don't have a full summary on-hand, but if you just want to jumpstart your own search you might want to read Lukeprogs article on efficient scholarship and look into the keyword "debiasing".