Do you mean anything by this beyond “you don’t have an obligation to figure out why people voted one way or another, period”? (Or do you think that I [i.e., the general Less Wrong commenter] do have such an obligation?)
Edit: Also, the “They don’t deserve that” bit confuses me. Are you suggesting that understanding why people upvoted or downvoted your comment is a favor that you are doing for them?
Sometimes a person wont want to reply and say outright that they thought the comment was bad, because it’s just not pleasant, and perhaps not necessary. Instead, they might just reply with information that they think you might be missing, which you could use to improve, if you chose to. With them, an engaged interlocutor will be able to figure out what isn’t being said. With them, it can be productive to try to read between the lines.
Are you suggesting that understanding why people upvoted or downvoted your comment is a favor that you are doing for them?
Isn’t everything relating to writing good comments a favor, that you are doing for others. But I don’t really think in terms of favors. All I mean to say is that we should write our comments for the sorts of people who give feedback. Those are the good people. Those are the people who’re a part of a good faith self-improving discourse. Their outgroup are maybe not so good, and we probably shouldn’t try to write for their sake.
Do you mean anything by this beyond “you don’t have an obligation to figure out why people voted one way or another, period”? (Or do you think that I [i.e., the general Less Wrong commenter] do have such an obligation?)
Edit: Also, the “They don’t deserve that” bit confuses me. Are you suggesting that understanding why people upvoted or downvoted your comment is a favor that you are doing for them?
Sometimes a person wont want to reply and say outright that they thought the comment was bad, because it’s just not pleasant, and perhaps not necessary. Instead, they might just reply with information that they think you might be missing, which you could use to improve, if you chose to. With them, an engaged interlocutor will be able to figure out what isn’t being said. With them, it can be productive to try to read between the lines.
Isn’t everything relating to writing good comments a favor, that you are doing for others. But I don’t really think in terms of favors. All I mean to say is that we should write our comments for the sorts of people who give feedback. Those are the good people. Those are the people who’re a part of a good faith self-improving discourse. Their outgroup are maybe not so good, and we probably shouldn’t try to write for their sake.