If only Less Wrong members had the common sense of the average Salon reader, then they would instantly see through such silly dilemmas.
Not sure I agree with your point. There’s a standard LW idea that smart people can believe in crazy things due to their environment. For “environment” you can substitute “non-LW” or “LW” as you wish.
To the extent that the article is narrowly targeted at this website, it could be read as an ‘expose’ on groupthink or the dangers of epistemic closure. That’s a more charitable reading. But consider sentences like: “What you are about to read may sound strange and even crazy, but some very influential and wealthy scientists and techies believe it.” Which is to say, the author seems to be using LW as a centered example of the social category “intellectuals with a focus on science and technology”, rather than using LW as a test case of a community with unusual conventions.
Not sure I agree with your point. There’s a standard LW idea that smart people can believe in crazy things due to their environment. For “environment” you can substitute “non-LW” or “LW” as you wish.
That’s a valid point.
To the extent that the article is narrowly targeted at this website, it could be read as an ‘expose’ on groupthink or the dangers of epistemic closure. That’s a more charitable reading. But consider sentences like: “What you are about to read may sound strange and even crazy, but some very influential and wealthy scientists and techies believe it.” Which is to say, the author seems to be using LW as a centered example of the social category “intellectuals with a focus on science and technology”, rather than using LW as a test case of a community with unusual conventions.