I think there’s a fine line between tolerating the appearance of a fanboy culture, and becoming a fanboy culture. The next rationalist pop star might not be up to the challenge.
Agreement and disagreement look more like skills that we can develop (and can improve at both of) than ends of a continuum (where moving toward one means moving away from the other).
I mean, we can reduce the apparent and actual extent to which we’re an Eliezer fan-club or echo chamber, and improve our armor against the emotional and social pressures that “we all think the Great Leader is perfect” tends to form. And we can also, simulateously, improve our ability to endorse good ideas even when someone else already said that idea, and to actually coordinate to get stuff done in groups.
we can reduce the apparent and actual extent to which we’re an Eliezer fan-club or echo chamber, and improve our armor against the emotional and social pressures that “we all think the Great Leader is perfect”
I think Eli has succeeded in attracting enough very clever people to the community that this is not a massive danger. If Robin, you, Carl S, Yvain, Nick T, Nick Hay, Vladimir N, etc all disagreed with him for the same reason, and he didn’t retract, he would look silly.
Agreement and disagreement look more like skills that we can develop (and can improve at both of) than ends of a continuum (where moving toward one means moving away from the other).
I mean, we can reduce the apparent and actual extent to which we’re an Eliezer fan-club or echo chamber, and improve our armor against the emotional and social pressures that “we all think the Great Leader is perfect” tends to form. And we can also, simulateously, improve our ability to endorse good ideas even when someone else already said that idea, and to actually coordinate to get stuff done in groups.
I think Eli has succeeded in attracting enough very clever people to the community that this is not a massive danger. If Robin, you, Carl S, Yvain, Nick T, Nick Hay, Vladimir N, etc all disagreed with him for the same reason, and he didn’t retract, he would look silly.