I’m worried part of this debate is just about status. When someone comes in and says “Hey, you guys should really pay more attention to what x group of people with y credentials says about z” it reminds everyone here, most of whom lack y credentials that society doesn’t recognize them as an authority on z and so they are some how less valuable than group x. So there is an impulse to say that z is obvious, that z doesn’t matter or that having y isn’t really a good indicator of being right about z. That way, people here don’t lose status relative to group x.
Conversely, members of group x probably put money and effort into getting credential y and will be offended by the suggestion that what they know about doesn’t matter, that it is obvious or that their having credential y doesn’t indicate they know anything more than anyone else.
Me, I have an undergraduate degree in philosophy which I value so I’m sure I get a little defensive when philosophy is mocked or criticized around here. But most people here probably fit in the first category. Eliezer, being a human being like everybody else, is likely a little insecure about his lack of a formal education and perhaps particularly apt to deny an academic community status as domain experts in a fields he’s worked in (even though he is certainly right that formal credentials are overvalued).
I think a lot of this argument isn’t really a disagreement over what is valuable and what isn’t- it’s just people emphasizing or de-emphasizing different ideas and writers to make themselves look higher status.
I’ve read Quine and you haven’t so obviously Quine’s insights were huge leaps forward and no progress is possible without standing on his shoulders. Most of what you’ve said here was said earlier and better by other people I’ve read.
...
I haven’t read Quine and you have? Well in that case everything he ever said was obvious and I totally came up with it on my own. What’s actually impressive coming up with these interesting ideas over here based on those obvious ideas Quine thought up. Any philosophers do that? No? That’s what I thought.
These statements have no content they just say “My stuff is better than your stuff”.
I think such debates unavoidably include status motivations. We are status-oriented, signaling creatures. Politics mattered in our ancestral environment.
Of course you know that I never said anything like either of the parody quotes provided. And I’m not trying to stay Quinean philosophy is better than Less Wrong. The claim I’m making is a very weak claim: that some useful stuff comes out of mainstream philosophy, and Less Wrong shouldn’t ignore it when that happens just because the source happens to be mainstream philosophy.
Of course you know that I never said anything like either of the parody quotes provided. And I’m not trying to stay Quinean philosophy is better than Less Wrong. The claim I’m making is a very weak claim: that some useful stuff comes out of mainstream philosophy, and Less Wrong shouldn’t ignore it when that happens just because the source happens to be mainstream philosophy.
Yes. But you’re right so that side had to be a strawman, didn’t it?
Since I hold a pretty strong pro-mainstream philosophy position (relative to others here, perhaps including yourself) I was a little more creative with that parody than in the other. I was attempting to be self-deprecating to soften my criticism (that the reluctance to embrace your position stems from status insecurities) so as to not set of tribal war instincts.
Though on reflection it occurs to me that since I didn’t state my position in that comment or in this thread and have only talked about it in comments (some before you even arrived here at Less Wrong) it’s pretty unlikely that you or anyone else would remember my position on the matter, in which case my attempt at self-deprecation might look like a criticism of you.
Yeah… I’ve apparently missed something important to interpreting you.
For the record, if you hold “a pretty strong pro-mainstream philosophy position” then you definitely are more in favor of mainstream philosophy than I am. :)
I’m worried part of this debate is just about status. When someone comes in and says “Hey, you guys should really pay more attention to what x group of people with y credentials says about z” it reminds everyone here, most of whom lack y credentials that society doesn’t recognize them as an authority on z and so they are some how less valuable than group x. So there is an impulse to say that z is obvious, that z doesn’t matter or that having y isn’t really a good indicator of being right about z. That way, people here don’t lose status relative to group x.
Conversely, members of group x probably put money and effort into getting credential y and will be offended by the suggestion that what they know about doesn’t matter, that it is obvious or that their having credential y doesn’t indicate they know anything more than anyone else.
Me, I have an undergraduate degree in philosophy which I value so I’m sure I get a little defensive when philosophy is mocked or criticized around here. But most people here probably fit in the first category. Eliezer, being a human being like everybody else, is likely a little insecure about his lack of a formal education and perhaps particularly apt to deny an academic community status as domain experts in a fields he’s worked in (even though he is certainly right that formal credentials are overvalued).
I think a lot of this argument isn’t really a disagreement over what is valuable and what isn’t- it’s just people emphasizing or de-emphasizing different ideas and writers to make themselves look higher status.
...
These statements have no content they just say “My stuff is better than your stuff”.
I think such debates unavoidably include status motivations. We are status-oriented, signaling creatures. Politics mattered in our ancestral environment.
Of course you know that I never said anything like either of the parody quotes provided. And I’m not trying to stay Quinean philosophy is better than Less Wrong. The claim I’m making is a very weak claim: that some useful stuff comes out of mainstream philosophy, and Less Wrong shouldn’t ignore it when that happens just because the source happens to be mainstream philosophy.
Yes. But you’re right so that side had to be a strawman, didn’t it?
I’m sorry; what do you mean?
Since I hold a pretty strong pro-mainstream philosophy position (relative to others here, perhaps including yourself) I was a little more creative with that parody than in the other. I was attempting to be self-deprecating to soften my criticism (that the reluctance to embrace your position stems from status insecurities) so as to not set of tribal war instincts.
Though on reflection it occurs to me that since I didn’t state my position in that comment or in this thread and have only talked about it in comments (some before you even arrived here at Less Wrong) it’s pretty unlikely that you or anyone else would remember my position on the matter, in which case my attempt at self-deprecation might look like a criticism of you.
Yeah… I’ve apparently missed something important to interpreting you.
For the record, if you hold “a pretty strong pro-mainstream philosophy position” then you definitely are more in favor of mainstream philosophy than I am. :)
It’s all relative. Surround me with academics and I sound like Eliezer.
But yes, once or twice I’ve even had the gall to suggest that some continental philosophers are valuable.
And for that, two days in the slammer! :)