I think it was fine for Nate to delete your comment and block you, and fine for you to repost it as a short form.
But my anecdote is a valid report of the historical consequences of talking with Nate – just as valid as the e/acc co-founder’s tweet.
“just as valid” [where validity here = topical] seems like an overclaim here. And at the time of your comment, Nate had already commented in other threads, which are now linked in a footnote in the OP:
By “cowardice” here I mean the content, not the tone or demeanor. I acknowledge that perceived arrogance and overconfidence can annoy people in communication, and can cause backlash. For more on what I mean by courageous vs cowardly content, see this comment. I also spell out the argument more explicitly in this thread.
So it’s a bit of a stretch to say that any AI safety-related discussion or interpersonal interaction that Nate has ever had in any context is automatically topical.
I also think your description of Nate’s decision to delete your comment as “not … allowing people to read negative truths about his own behavior” is somewhat overwrought. Both of the comment threads you linked were widely read and discussed at the time, and this shortform will probably also get lots of eyeballs and attention.
At the very least, there is an alternate interpretation, which is that the comment really was off-topic in Nate’s view, and given the history between the two of you, he chose to block + delete instead of re-litigating or engaging in a back-and-forth that both of you would probably find unpleasant and unproductive. Maybe it would have been more noble or more wise of him to simply let your comment stand without direct engagement, but that can also feel unpleasant (for Nate or others).
I think it was fine for Nate to delete your comment and block you, and fine for you to repost it as a short form.
“just as valid” [where validity here = topical] seems like an overclaim here. And at the time of your comment, Nate had already commented in other threads, which are now linked in a footnote in the OP:
So it’s a bit of a stretch to say that any AI safety-related discussion or interpersonal interaction that Nate has ever had in any context is automatically topical.
I also think your description of Nate’s decision to delete your comment as “not … allowing people to read negative truths about his own behavior” is somewhat overwrought. Both of the comment threads you linked were widely read and discussed at the time, and this shortform will probably also get lots of eyeballs and attention.
At the very least, there is an alternate interpretation, which is that the comment really was off-topic in Nate’s view, and given the history between the two of you, he chose to block + delete instead of re-litigating or engaging in a back-and-forth that both of you would probably find unpleasant and unproductive. Maybe it would have been more noble or more wise of him to simply let your comment stand without direct engagement, but that can also feel unpleasant (for Nate or others).