It seemed like it mattered with regard to the original context of this discussion, where the thing I was asking was “what would LW output if it were going well, according to you?” (I realize this question perhaps unfairly implies you cared about my particular frame in which I asked the question)
If LessWrong’s job was to produce energy, and we did it by burning coal, pollution and other downsides might be a cost that we weigh, but if we thought about “how would we tell things had gone well in another 20 years?”, unless we had a plan for switching the entire plant over to solar panels, we should probably expect roughly similar levels of whatever the costs were (maybe with some reduction based on efficiency), rather than those downsides disappearing into the mists of time.
(I realize this question perhaps unfairly implies you cared about my particular frame in which I asked the question)
Sure, but more importantly, what you asked was this:
In 20 years if everything on LW went exactly the way you think is ideal, what are the good things that would have happened along the way, and how would we know that we made the right call?
[emphasis mine]
Producing energy by burning coal is hardly ideal. As you say upthread, it’s well and good to be realistic about what can be accomplished and how it can be accomplished, but we shouldn’t lose track of what our goals (i.e., our ideals) actually are.
I’m not too worried about the conversation continuing in the manner is has, but I’m pretty sure I’ve now covered everything I had to say before actually drilling down into the details.
It seemed like it mattered with regard to the original context of this discussion, where the thing I was asking was “what would LW output if it were going well, according to you?” (I realize this question perhaps unfairly implies you cared about my particular frame in which I asked the question)
If LessWrong’s job was to produce energy, and we did it by burning coal, pollution and other downsides might be a cost that we weigh, but if we thought about “how would we tell things had gone well in another 20 years?”, unless we had a plan for switching the entire plant over to solar panels, we should probably expect roughly similar levels of whatever the costs were (maybe with some reduction based on efficiency), rather than those downsides disappearing into the mists of time.
[edit: mild update to first paragraph]
Sure, but more importantly, what you asked was this:
[emphasis mine]
Producing energy by burning coal is hardly ideal. As you say upthread, it’s well and good to be realistic about what can be accomplished and how it can be accomplished, but we shouldn’t lose track of what our goals (i.e., our ideals) actually are.
Okay, coolio.
I’m not too worried about the conversation continuing in the manner is has, but I’m pretty sure I’ve now covered everything I had to say before actually drilling down into the details.