Persuade even those whom the sequences would never reach.
I’m not an evangelist and nor do I assume that evangelism will always be beneficial. An influx of people who are not biased towards rationality due to genetics could be detrimental to a given cause.
Do you seriously believe there is a genetic bias for rationality? Do you think some paleolithic humans were more ‘rational’ than others because of a few gene tweaks here or there?
Do you seriously believe there is a genetic bias for rationality?
I seriously believe that some people have genetic defects that make some of the important arational systems to malfunction. They then compensate for those weaknesses using the (for most practical purposes inferior) general intelligence capabilities.
Do you think some paleolithic humans were more ‘rational’ than others because of a few gene tweaks here or there?
There is genetic variation in the extent people use different styles of thought. Preference for near mode vs far mode for example. A side effect of this is the kind of ‘rational’ thinking that is relevant to, for example, signing up for cryonics or caring about existential risks.
Look at your community, now look at me, now look at your community, now back to me.
Do you want your community to smell like me? No, you don’t.
But with the power of old spice Conclusion scented body wash, I can influence large numbers of people to more correct choices for still wrong (but less wrong) reasons, while leaving your community smelling as unbiased as a master beisutsukai.
People move. Unless a community manages to maintain a sufficiently low status even among groups of people with overlapping beliefs introducing more social-thinkers into related belief systems will influence that community’s population. This is more important when it comes to things like interest in creating a technological singularity. Keeping that whole concept ‘fringe’ and stigmatised as nerdy Sci. Fi. is a good thing.
This discussion has surpassed my current aptitude for converting it to ad copy :-)
My key point is that advertising is a more efficient persuasive tool than argument. Even if you’re concerned about dangerous ideas in unsafe minds, we should still be using advertising to shift those views, it is unlikely that the current distribution is optimal. (though this argument is weaker, since I don’t think we currently try argument to do this)
I also think that modern advertising can be targeted enough to sort out whatever demographic you want, and still persuade better than the sequences, I suspect even to the most rational humans.
A D V E R T I S I N G
For all your best contrarian ideas!
Make more efficient use of your persuasive time and dollars.
Leverage decades of professional experience for YOUR beliefs!
Persuade even those whom the sequences would never reach.
Can we afford not to?
Yes!
I’m not an evangelist and nor do I assume that evangelism will always be beneficial. An influx of people who are not biased towards rationality due to genetics could be detrimental to a given cause.
Do you seriously believe there is a genetic bias for rationality? Do you think some paleolithic humans were more ‘rational’ than others because of a few gene tweaks here or there?
I seriously believe that some people have genetic defects that make some of the important arational systems to malfunction. They then compensate for those weaknesses using the (for most practical purposes inferior) general intelligence capabilities.
There is genetic variation in the extent people use different styles of thought. Preference for near mode vs far mode for example. A side effect of this is the kind of ‘rational’ thinking that is relevant to, for example, signing up for cryonics or caring about existential risks.
It seems quite possible to me. I leave how as an exercise for the reader, with the hints ‘testosterone’ and ‘anger’.
Hello Lesswrong.
Look at your community, now look at me, now look at your community, now back to me.
Do you want your community to smell like me? No, you don’t.
But with the power of old spice Conclusion scented body wash, I can influence large numbers of people to more correct choices for still wrong (but less wrong) reasons, while leaving your community smelling as unbiased as a master beisutsukai.
By ‘I’ I mean by proxy you, I’m on a motorcycle.
People move. Unless a community manages to maintain a sufficiently low status even among groups of people with overlapping beliefs introducing more social-thinkers into related belief systems will influence that community’s population. This is more important when it comes to things like interest in creating a technological singularity. Keeping that whole concept ‘fringe’ and stigmatised as nerdy Sci. Fi. is a good thing.
This discussion has surpassed my current aptitude for converting it to ad copy :-)
My key point is that advertising is a more efficient persuasive tool than argument. Even if you’re concerned about dangerous ideas in unsafe minds, we should still be using advertising to shift those views, it is unlikely that the current distribution is optimal. (though this argument is weaker, since I don’t think we currently try argument to do this)
I also think that modern advertising can be targeted enough to sort out whatever demographic you want, and still persuade better than the sequences, I suspect even to the most rational humans.
On this I am in full agreement!