Is this general advice that you would also give to someone who, say, expressed an interest in learning about quantum gravity, or do you think there something especially harmful about political beliefs?
I wouldn’t be very surprised if political beliefs were especially distracting, but non-political (well, non-overtly-political) beliefs & topics can also be good at consuming attention. Bonfires of attention I’ve seen blazing away on LW include the Sleeping Beauty problem, how to interpret QM, and how to interpret probabilities. (Some political beliefs at least have the merit of being testable!)
Also, it seems there should be ways to combat privileging the question other than abstaining from political belief entirely. That seems like a rather radical (and somewhat defeatist) solution.
And one easier said than done. Whenever someone tells me they’re apolitical or refuse to hold political views, I brace myself for the inevitable accidental unveiling of their non-existent politics. (This doesn’t just apply to people I have extended personal interactions with. Look at Philip Larkin!)
I wouldn’t be very surprised if political beliefs were especially distracting, but non-political (well, non-overtly-political) beliefs & topics can also be good at consuming attention. Bonfires of attention I’ve seen blazing away on LW include the Sleeping Beauty problem, how to interpret QM, and how to interpret probabilities. (Some political beliefs at least have the merit of being testable!)
And one easier said than done. Whenever someone tells me they’re apolitical or refuse to hold political views, I brace myself for the inevitable accidental unveiling of their non-existent politics. (This doesn’t just apply to people I have extended personal interactions with. Look at Philip Larkin!)