This is a significant point. Even granting as accurate every charge levelled at Eliezer’s writing (and at Yvain, who has adopted much the same style, and many other people outside this community), it’s not obvious that there’s anything inherently wrong with it.
In particular, I think Robin often does his arguments a disservice by deliberately presenting them in a way that hinders their uptake.
To be clear, my comment above isn’t meant to be a “charge”! Among other things, Eliezer is exceptionally gifted at making ideas interesting and accessible in a way that Robin isn’t at all. I’m looking forward to his book coming out and changing the world.
I personally love his stuff, and think it’s great 1) for people that are completely new to these ideas; 2) for people that are fairly advanced and have the ideas deep in their bones.
For people in between, I sometimes feel like his writing presents too much of a glide path—answers too many questions for the student, guides the reader too unerringly to the answers, presents a polished surface that makes it hard for inexperienced learners to understand the components of the thought process and learn to do the same themselves.
This is a significant point. Even granting as accurate every charge levelled at Eliezer’s writing (and at Yvain, who has adopted much the same style, and many other people outside this community), it’s not obvious that there’s anything inherently wrong with it.
In particular, I think Robin often does his arguments a disservice by deliberately presenting them in a way that hinders their uptake.
To be clear, my comment above isn’t meant to be a “charge”! Among other things, Eliezer is exceptionally gifted at making ideas interesting and accessible in a way that Robin isn’t at all. I’m looking forward to his book coming out and changing the world.
I personally love his stuff, and think it’s great 1) for people that are completely new to these ideas; 2) for people that are fairly advanced and have the ideas deep in their bones.
For people in between, I sometimes feel like his writing presents too much of a glide path—answers too many questions for the student, guides the reader too unerringly to the answers, presents a polished surface that makes it hard for inexperienced learners to understand the components of the thought process and learn to do the same themselves.