And here we have a perfect example of the damage done by religion. The claim that “you shouldn’t think of religions as being about the truth as rationalists typically think of it” is absolutely typical anti-epistemology.
This is an uncharitable and unkind claim to make given you have about 1200 words worth of my position in this post. We’ve gotten into it over many years and at no time have I felt the better for you commenting on my posts. I welcome the criticism, but not the way you deliver it, and in all our years of debating I feel you have never engaged seriously in any way other than trying to hammer what you already believe, so effectively immediately using the ban feature to ban you from my posts.
I’m sorry it’s come to this. I’d like to engage with you as a critic. As you can see, I gladly do that with many of my other critics, and have spent hours doing it with you specifically for many years. But having you comment on my posts is net-negative for me and makes me want to use Less Wrong less, so I’m doing what I should have done a long time ago.
Sorry it had to come with so little warning and after such a long hiatus from us having interactions. I also wish it was on a less contentious and visible post, but that’s perhaps what has finally pushed me to do what I should have done before.
For the benefit of other readers, I deny that I am taking some kind of anti-epistemology position. Instead, I take a view that most people do epistemology in ways that overreach and makes metaphysical claims when none need be made, and am writing a book about that. I also can say that, in my experience practicing Zen, there is no culture of subtly pulling me towards obviously false beliefs. I’m sure this happens in many religious communities, but not in mine. If I am pulled towards any false beliefs, it’s within the same degree of error to which I am pulled towards false beliefs by my entire life, including the part of it that’s on Less Wrong.
This is an uncharitable and unkind claim to make given you have about 1200 words worth of my position in this post. We’ve gotten into it over many years and at no time have I felt the better for you commenting on my posts. I welcome the criticism, but not the way you deliver it, and in all our years of debating I feel you have never engaged seriously in any way other than trying to hammer what you already believe, so effectively immediately using the ban feature to ban you from my posts.
I’m sorry it’s come to this. I’d like to engage with you as a critic. As you can see, I gladly do that with many of my other critics, and have spent hours doing it with you specifically for many years. But having you comment on my posts is net-negative for me and makes me want to use Less Wrong less, so I’m doing what I should have done a long time ago.
Sorry it had to come with so little warning and after such a long hiatus from us having interactions. I also wish it was on a less contentious and visible post, but that’s perhaps what has finally pushed me to do what I should have done before.
For the benefit of other readers, I deny that I am taking some kind of anti-epistemology position. Instead, I take a view that most people do epistemology in ways that overreach and makes metaphysical claims when none need be made, and am writing a book about that. I also can say that, in my experience practicing Zen, there is no culture of subtly pulling me towards obviously false beliefs. I’m sure this happens in many religious communities, but not in mine. If I am pulled towards any false beliefs, it’s within the same degree of error to which I am pulled towards false beliefs by my entire life, including the part of it that’s on Less Wrong.