The reason why this kind of writing is sub-optimal is the following...It is not necessary to get verbose and guard yourself against any possibly misinterpretation in the world...this approach is extremely sub-optimal for communication.
To some extent, I assumed you wrote it as you thought it, considering how the other things were variables and just as a general sense I had. The sign that it’s not abstract and that you are likely not holding off on proposing solutions is in how one thinks about it regardless of how one ultimately writes it.
I’m not primarily arguing that writing abstractly is always optimal (it admittedly may not have been here), but that thinking concretised is suboptimal, and writing concretised is correlated with concretized thinking. It’s like Solomon’s Problem.
So I have no large beef with how you wrote it, and I think you wrote the idea you had in a more than adequate way, but I and many others see it as not on topic. I think that that is because it is too specific. If this (ideal?) way of writing was a reflection of your thoughts, that should have been a hint that the thoughts weren’t general enough.
My judgement is very susceptible to being wrong insofar as you may have thought about it totally abstractly and been good at avoiding too abstract writing; perhaps you have the good habit of translating the general thoughts in your mind into exemplary exemplary (sic) words, in which case you wouldn’t have had this specific hint that this post was fairly off topic by its narrowness.
Again, I wasn’t proposing a final solution that should be implemented tomorrow!
This confused me for a while. In my opinion, it is more specific ideas that are better prepared to be implemented, i.e. the applications of more general forms. I hadn’t expected as a defense against a charge of being too practical and not theoretical enough an emphasis of the distance between the idea and its implementation. In general, one isn’t concerned with perfection in the initial presentation of any idea, that makes sense, and one brings up the distance from implementation to show critics (that’s me) are nitpicking (me?) and misguided (could be me) when they treat a floated idea inappropriately by subjecting it to a standard suited for smoothing a refined idea by removing the tiniest flaws.
As in this particular instance, I was arguing for generality as against practicality, I was truly confused when you spoke to the idea of differing standards being appropriate at different stages of an idea’s life by using the language of distance to implementation. Eventually, I got it ;)
| perhaps you have the good habit of translating the general thoughts in your mind into
|exemplary exemplary (sic) words,
Yes I do and it has served me very well with regard to being a clearer communicator. It’s all the more helpful when communicating with people less used to talking abstractly. I strongly suggest you try it. You’ll save time and be more clear 95% of the time unless the people you are communicating with are some really biased sample.
| in which case you wouldn’t have had this specific hint that this post was fairly off topic by its narrowness.
Other people have downvoted your post/said it should be taken from the main page/criticized it and given general criticisms. I believe that I am being more specific than they and agreeing with them. The problem with this post is that it is narrow, specific, too close to an implementation that “should be implemented tomorrow!” It is not general enough, abstract enough, to fit here. I am articulating why I think it doesn’t fit, and I think I am explaining why the others think so.
So, if when considering whether or not to post something on the LW main page, part of what I am considering is an economic proposal with a big fat “3 cents” with the number three rather than something I am thinking of in variables, that should be a big flashing warning sign that I am making the mistake of suggesting something too removed from its abstract, generalizable framework, I am possibly summoning politics, the mind killer, as a side effect, and I probably committed the error of not thinking through a problem before being fixated on a specific, narrow solution. “Tax energy use” would be better, “internalize externalities” better still.
I communicated my thoughts poorly.
To some extent, I assumed you wrote it as you thought it, considering how the other things were variables and just as a general sense I had. The sign that it’s not abstract and that you are likely not holding off on proposing solutions is in how one thinks about it regardless of how one ultimately writes it.
I’m not primarily arguing that writing abstractly is always optimal (it admittedly may not have been here), but that thinking concretised is suboptimal, and writing concretised is correlated with concretized thinking. It’s like Solomon’s Problem.
So I have no large beef with how you wrote it, and I think you wrote the idea you had in a more than adequate way, but I and many others see it as not on topic. I think that that is because it is too specific. If this (ideal?) way of writing was a reflection of your thoughts, that should have been a hint that the thoughts weren’t general enough.
My judgement is very susceptible to being wrong insofar as you may have thought about it totally abstractly and been good at avoiding too abstract writing; perhaps you have the good habit of translating the general thoughts in your mind into exemplary exemplary (sic) words, in which case you wouldn’t have had this specific hint that this post was fairly off topic by its narrowness.
This confused me for a while. In my opinion, it is more specific ideas that are better prepared to be implemented, i.e. the applications of more general forms. I hadn’t expected as a defense against a charge of being too practical and not theoretical enough an emphasis of the distance between the idea and its implementation. In general, one isn’t concerned with perfection in the initial presentation of any idea, that makes sense, and one brings up the distance from implementation to show critics (that’s me) are nitpicking (me?) and misguided (could be me) when they treat a floated idea inappropriately by subjecting it to a standard suited for smoothing a refined idea by removing the tiniest flaws.
As in this particular instance, I was arguing for generality as against practicality, I was truly confused when you spoke to the idea of differing standards being appropriate at different stages of an idea’s life by using the language of distance to implementation. Eventually, I got it ;)
| perhaps you have the good habit of translating the general thoughts in your mind into |exemplary exemplary (sic) words,
Yes I do and it has served me very well with regard to being a clearer communicator. It’s all the more helpful when communicating with people less used to talking abstractly. I strongly suggest you try it. You’ll save time and be more clear 95% of the time unless the people you are communicating with are some really biased sample.
| in which case you wouldn’t have had this specific hint that this post was fairly off topic by its narrowness.
narrow/specific/concrete<----------------------------------------------------------------->broad/abstract
raise the gas tax 3 cents........................tax energy use............................internalize externalities
Other people have downvoted your post/said it should be taken from the main page/criticized it and given general criticisms. I believe that I am being more specific than they and agreeing with them. The problem with this post is that it is narrow, specific, too close to an implementation that “should be implemented tomorrow!” It is not general enough, abstract enough, to fit here. I am articulating why I think it doesn’t fit, and I think I am explaining why the others think so.
So, if when considering whether or not to post something on the LW main page, part of what I am considering is an economic proposal with a big fat “3 cents” with the number three rather than something I am thinking of in variables, that should be a big flashing warning sign that I am making the mistake of suggesting something too removed from its abstract, generalizable framework, I am possibly summoning politics, the mind killer, as a side effect, and I probably committed the error of not thinking through a problem before being fixated on a specific, narrow solution. “Tax energy use” would be better, “internalize externalities” better still.