It’s important to distinguish between having opinions about policy and having opinions about politics. Having political opinions != identifying with a political party. I have lots of strong opinions about policy but few about politics.
Fyi, your post still came off as aloof, I think it’s largely because of the word ‘abstract’. I have a hard time understanding what it means to have an abstract opinion about either policy or politics, especially in a environment like LW where something like utilitarianism is more or less assumed. It seems to me that you either have strong opinions on politics or policy or you don’t. Opinions don’t seem to vary along an abstractness dimension in an interesting sense.
It is often the case that when more rational that average people say they are ‘discussing politics’ they actually mean they are discussing policy. You sound like you’re trying to signal sophistication because you sound like you’re pointing out that you’ve realized that it’s policy not politics that’s important, and among more-rational-than-average people this is a very obvious conclusion.
Because it would have to pay rent and I don’t see how it does. I can not predict the impact of any policy at all except with near useless qualitative predictions in limited cases. When the keynesians, monetarists, and austrians all agree I make a note of it. Otherwise I have much MUCH more useful things to do than have any belief about the structure and execution of politics.
Sure, an economic analysis of different global warming policies will predict whether how good of a job they do of avoiding global warming costs (say cap-and-trade vs. some particular geoengineering policy). A theoretical understanding of different monetary policy regimes will help you predict which ones will lead to fewer recessions. A theoretical understanding of different tariff policies will help you predict what policies will lead to higher welfare.
In French, it’s the same world, politique, so I expect French-speakers are less likely than English-speakers to distinguish the ideas of “someone with strong political opinions” and “someone with strong opinions on policy”; or “a political debate” and “a debate on policy”.
(Not that I’m insinuating nazgulnarsil is French or anything)
As far as being emotional what policies are better than other policies? I’m sure I’m somewhat more emotional about policy than natural disasters. I rarely get angry at anything, though. Most of my strong opinions about policy of of the form, policy X leads to more desirable outcomes than policy Y (for example, “lower immigration restrictions leads to more desirable outcomes than higher immigration restrictions”).
It’s important to distinguish between having opinions about policy and having opinions about politics. Having political opinions != identifying with a political party. I have lots of strong opinions about policy but few about politics.
Fyi, your post still came off as aloof, I think it’s largely because of the word ‘abstract’. I have a hard time understanding what it means to have an abstract opinion about either policy or politics, especially in a environment like LW where something like utilitarianism is more or less assumed. It seems to me that you either have strong opinions on politics or policy or you don’t. Opinions don’t seem to vary along an abstractness dimension in an interesting sense.
It is often the case that when more rational that average people say they are ‘discussing politics’ they actually mean they are discussing policy. You sound like you’re trying to signal sophistication because you sound like you’re pointing out that you’ve realized that it’s policy not politics that’s important, and among more-rational-than-average people this is a very obvious conclusion.
I don’t distinguish between politics and policy.
er, why not? Seems like a natural distinction to make
Because it would have to pay rent and I don’t see how it does. I can not predict the impact of any policy at all except with near useless qualitative predictions in limited cases. When the keynesians, monetarists, and austrians all agree I make a note of it. Otherwise I have much MUCH more useful things to do than have any belief about the structure and execution of politics.
If your point is that you aren’t interested enough, then obviously you’re entitled to that, but then I don’t see why you made the original post.
Even in the specific case you cite, there is a truth to the matter and it has real world consequences.
Incidentally, I Silas Barta and/or I will hopefully eventually post to LW on that very topic (monetary economics).
everything has real world consequences. do you have any useful predictions?
Sure, an economic analysis of different global warming policies will predict whether how good of a job they do of avoiding global warming costs (say cap-and-trade vs. some particular geoengineering policy). A theoretical understanding of different monetary policy regimes will help you predict which ones will lead to fewer recessions. A theoretical understanding of different tariff policies will help you predict what policies will lead to higher welfare.
people who devote their lives to those topics don’t seem to be making useful quantitative predictions about them. I don’t think I can do any better.
In French, it’s the same world, politique, so I expect French-speakers are less likely than English-speakers to distinguish the ideas of “someone with strong political opinions” and “someone with strong opinions on policy”; or “a political debate” and “a debate on policy”.
(Not that I’m insinuating nazgulnarsil is French or anything)
I didn’t feel it came off as aloof, but maybe I read it literally where you read it figuratively—I’m bad at knowing when to do which sometimes.
It came off aloof to me, maybe it doesn’t to most others.
With nazgulnarsil’s analogy in mind, are your “strong opinions about policy” different in character than your opinions about natural disasters?
As far as being emotional what policies are better than other policies? I’m sure I’m somewhat more emotional about policy than natural disasters. I rarely get angry at anything, though. Most of my strong opinions about policy of of the form, policy X leads to more desirable outcomes than policy Y (for example, “lower immigration restrictions leads to more desirable outcomes than higher immigration restrictions”).