They are repositories for quotes that resonate with and/or amuse us. It might be a little too easy to get karma that way, admittedly, but I think they are nice to have around.
Sources of karma don’t bother me. It just seems like the standards for voting in that thread—both comments and replies—is really different than the rest of the site. Not looser, but different.
It seems like I’m always surprised but the vote totals there—both upvotes and downvotes, when I think I have a feel for what folks like in the rest of the site.
I don’t think it’s a test for orthodoxy. Take the quote: “To see is to forget the name of the thing one sees.” ― Paul Valéry with 13 upvotes while I write it.
The position that gets articulated in that quote isn’t orthodox on LessWrong. There are a bunch of quotes that are interesting instead of just making an orthodox point.
I didn’t claim that it’s irrational. I claim that it’s not orthodox rationality.
Take a quote that makes a more orthodox point:
“The social sciences are largely hokum.”—Sheldon Cooper
That quote is voted −2. That quote makes a point in which many members of the community believe but it doesn’t make that point in a way that’s interesting.
I think your original quote is rational, as this community defines the term. I think the Big Bang Theory quote is not rational—in part because of denotative implications.
I think Jabberslythe is probably right when he says the purpose is celebrating in-group feelings. I’m not sure I approve of that purpose.
They trigger the ingroup fuzzies really well for me. I think quotes inspire me as well sometimes and it’s otherwise hard to find quotes that inspire in the right direction.
I’ll be moving to Redwood City, CA in a week, so forgive me if I don’t get a regular post out every day between now and then. As a substitute offering, some items from my (offline) quotesfile
What exactly is the function of the Rationality Quotes threads? They seem like nothing more that a litmus test for local orthodoxy.
They are repositories for quotes that resonate with and/or amuse us. It might be a little too easy to get karma that way, admittedly, but I think they are nice to have around.
Sources of karma don’t bother me. It just seems like the standards for voting in that thread—both comments and replies—is really different than the rest of the site. Not looser, but different.
It seems like I’m always surprised but the vote totals there—both upvotes and downvotes, when I think I have a feel for what folks like in the rest of the site.
One of their functions is to act as a kind of litmus test for local orthodoxy.
This is local orthodoxy?
“X is a good test for Y” does not imply “every part of X reflects Y.”
I don’t think you and Jayson are agreeing.
I don’t think it’s a test for orthodoxy. Take the quote: “To see is to forget the name of the thing one sees.” ― Paul Valéry with 13 upvotes while I write it.
The position that gets articulated in that quote isn’t orthodox on LessWrong. There are a bunch of quotes that are interesting instead of just making an orthodox point.
I don’t think that quote is irrational, for basically the reasons TheOtherDave said.
I didn’t claim that it’s irrational. I claim that it’s not orthodox rationality.
Take a quote that makes a more orthodox point: “The social sciences are largely hokum.”—Sheldon Cooper
That quote is voted −2. That quote makes a point in which many members of the community believe but it doesn’t make that point in a way that’s interesting.
I think your original quote is rational, as this community defines the term. I think the Big Bang Theory quote is not rational—in part because of denotative implications.
I think Jabberslythe is probably right when he says the purpose is celebrating in-group feelings. I’m not sure I approve of that purpose.
They trigger the ingroup fuzzies really well for me. I think quotes inspire me as well sometimes and it’s otherwise hard to find quotes that inspire in the right direction.
The purpose is clearly articulated in the first one.
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Now I’m really confused.