I see a few problems with this: if we try to assign beliefs and statements to people that aren’t what they say they believe, but what we think they really believe or meant to say, then we will be biased to interpreting their beliefs and statements to be like the closest cliches we know, or closer towards ideas we take seriously. We might think they didn’t mean X, because we think X is ridiculous, and when they protest that we’ve not responded directly, there’ll be an impasse. They may even accuse you of deliberately misinterpreting what they’ve said. Also, if we respond to what people actually say, then there’ll be an incentive for people to be clearer in their words, which seems a net positive. Fin
Interpreting words further than simply understanding what people actually say seems like it could be rife with errors. This doesn’t mean it’s not a useful skill, but I wouldn’t make it my general strategy.
Very frequently people do not find at all if you interpret them to be saying something different from what they actually meant to say, as long as you interpret them to be saying something true. They mainly mind if you interpret them to be saying something false, whether or not they actually meant to say that thing.
I’ll assume that you agree that it depends on the confidence you have in your interpretation. That if you’re 99% sure that they meant X, it’s worth it for you to address X. You seem to be arguing that our biases make it difficult to reach such high levels of confidence.
I think that biases can sometimes make it difficult, but not always. There are still many situations where it’s pretty easy to be confident in your interpretations. And in these situations, it makes sense to address what they probably meant. For example, in the story I referenced, I think it would have been quite easy to infer what my friend really meant if I thought to do so.
I see a few problems with this: if we try to assign beliefs and statements to people that aren’t what they say they believe, but what we think they really believe or meant to say, then we will be biased to interpreting their beliefs and statements to be like the closest cliches we know, or closer towards ideas we take seriously. We might think they didn’t mean X, because we think X is ridiculous, and when they protest that we’ve not responded directly, there’ll be an impasse. They may even accuse you of deliberately misinterpreting what they’ve said. Also, if we respond to what people actually say, then there’ll be an incentive for people to be clearer in their words, which seems a net positive. Fin
Interpreting words further than simply understanding what people actually say seems like it could be rife with errors. This doesn’t mean it’s not a useful skill, but I wouldn’t make it my general strategy.
That’s why its important to check for understanding if you’re at all unsure. It’s the ideological turing test thing.
Very frequently people do not find at all if you interpret them to be saying something different from what they actually meant to say, as long as you interpret them to be saying something true. They mainly mind if you interpret them to be saying something false, whether or not they actually meant to say that thing.
I’ll assume that you agree that it depends on the confidence you have in your interpretation. That if you’re 99% sure that they meant X, it’s worth it for you to address X. You seem to be arguing that our biases make it difficult to reach such high levels of confidence.
I think that biases can sometimes make it difficult, but not always. There are still many situations where it’s pretty easy to be confident in your interpretations. And in these situations, it makes sense to address what they probably meant. For example, in the story I referenced, I think it would have been quite easy to infer what my friend really meant if I thought to do so.