Heh, I am happy I am not in a position to have to defend this on some general principles. I really like this post because it is short, interesting, and unusual. (Having many posts like this would remove the “unusual” part; this is a problem with having rules.) And a part of the reason is that I find it quite funny to have this on the frontpage of Less Wrong. :P
Technically this is a part of World Optimization. At kindergarten level, but one has to start somewhere.
Thank you for the recognition that global optimization requires global knowledge. There are no rules that can be applied to independent posts which will result in the desired mix of frontpage posts, especially if those rules are public and Goodhart-able.
Having a policy “we promote a few lighter-weight posts that may interest a smaller portion of our readership each week, even when they don’t meet the formal criteria” crosses boundaries, but leads to the desired results.
That’s a pretty moderator-judgement-heavy statement, which may or may not fit the definition of “a rule”. But it’s required for the actual desired mix of levity and seriousness.
Heh, I am happy I am not in a position to have to defend this on some general principles. I really like this post because it is short, interesting, and unusual. (Having many posts like this would remove the “unusual” part; this is a problem with having rules.) And a part of the reason is that I find it quite funny to have this on the frontpage of Less Wrong. :P
Technically this is a part of World Optimization. At kindergarten level, but one has to start somewhere.
Thank you for the recognition that global optimization requires global knowledge. There are no rules that can be applied to independent posts which will result in the desired mix of frontpage posts, especially if those rules are public and Goodhart-able.
Having a policy “we promote a few lighter-weight posts that may interest a smaller portion of our readership each week, even when they don’t meet the formal criteria” crosses boundaries, but leads to the desired results.
That’s a pretty moderator-judgement-heavy statement, which may or may not fit the definition of “a rule”. But it’s required for the actual desired mix of levity and seriousness.