I wonder whether Korzybski was indeed a “memetic ancestor” of LessWrong or more like a slightly crazy elder sibling? In other words, were Yudkowsky or other prominent rationalists significantly influenced by Korzybski, or they just came up with similar-ish ideas independently?
I’m hoping we’ll find out in the next post, but I would guess the answer is “yes” via general semantics having an impact on science fiction writers who had an impact on transhumanism and the extropians out of which SL4, Eliezer, and this whole thing grew such that even if it wasn’t known at the time the ideas were “in the water” in such a way that you could make a strong argument that they did.
I wonder whether Korzybski was indeed a “memetic ancestor” of LessWrong or more like a slightly crazy elder sibling? In other words, were Yudkowsky or other prominent rationalists significantly influenced by Korzybski, or they just came up with similar-ish ideas independently?
Yes, via “Language in Thought and Action” and the Null-A novels.
I’m hoping we’ll find out in the next post, but I would guess the answer is “yes” via general semantics having an impact on science fiction writers who had an impact on transhumanism and the extropians out of which SL4, Eliezer, and this whole thing grew such that even if it wasn’t known at the time the ideas were “in the water” in such a way that you could make a strong argument that they did.