I think most onlookers would interpret Richard as saying “Rationalists and EAs are unusually bad at this”. Insofar as Richard thinks that, I want to publicly dispute it. Insofar as he doesn’t, and this is a miscommunication, I want to correct the record.
That rationalists are better than average does not exempt us from the problems caused by our not being remotely good enough, which is why I plan to write about it.
Well, in theory it could for example suggest, directionally, whether it’s more a “my rationalist tools are breaking in my hands” situation vs. a “I have failed to live up to my rationalist tools” sort of situation.
What is the relevance of this? It is written of the eighth virtue of humility that “it is useless to be superior [...] There is no guarantee that adequacy is possible given your hardest effort; therefore spare no thought for whether others are doing worse.”
I think most onlookers would interpret Richard as saying “Rationalists and EAs are unusually bad at this”. Insofar as Richard thinks that, I want to publicly dispute it. Insofar as he doesn’t, and this is a miscommunication, I want to correct the record.
That rationalists are better than average does not exempt us from the problems caused by our not being remotely good enough, which is why I plan to write about it.
Well, in theory it could for example suggest, directionally, whether it’s more a “my rationalist tools are breaking in my hands” situation vs. a “I have failed to live up to my rationalist tools” sort of situation.