In these articles, I believe Less Wrong is approaching extraordinary levels of group think. I had the misfortune of growing up as the child of bona fide cult members, complete with guru. There are many similarities here.
And what is significantly absent is self-awareness of the blatant conceit in believing that some super smart dude can reinvent all thinking all-by-self (don’t deny it, that’s what’s going on). I have been disgusted by articles written by Eleazar which virtually lifted whole swaths of Nietzsche, completely unattributed. There is no way that most of this is original thinking.
And I’ll also point out to all the people with rationality blinders on that if the poor dumb sheeples (as appears to be the general attitude around here) get wind that you’re anywhere close to installing super-awesome robot overlords that you are certain will rule with love and compassion, then we’ll see an uprising which will make the French Revolution look like a love-in.
Really super disgusted. And I don’t even give a shit about Wittgenstein. Though I think rationalists who believe they have found or are close to finding the key to living and thinking non-metaphorically are living in their own very delusional altered reality.
What’s most ironic is that Less Wrong IS mainstream philosophy. Look around peeps, this IS the zeitgeist of the scientific set. Just because universities haven’t caught up with you means Nothing. Get some self-awareness, this is pure and simply an advanced step in the progression of the Enlightenment, although more accurately it’s an advanced step in scientific reason a-la the school of Socrates. Of course you’re different, advanced, but you are a part of that specific genealogy. And this is the damning lack of awareness most present in this mindset. You are children of Enlightenment. (Go ahead, murder your fathers ;)
The analysis of mainstream philosophy is missing some key analytical components. Namely, the big picture: the nature, progression of change at, and priorities of academia overall. The political and social world in which that academic progression took shape. The rationalizations and biases supporting major universities as suppliers of ruling classes, as well as the rationalizations and biases of the academia in working class university, and of course the funding of all of the above, and how those shape thinking. Not exploring this issues is tantamount to not exploring the problem. It’s just hand wringing.
And why this glaring lack? Those are the hard problems. Hard to talk about aren’t they. Hell, all this philosophy debate sparks hundreds of comments, but this is a particularly abstract topic. 10% concrete development, 90% repainting the bike shed.
Here’s my contribution to LW: the Fallacy of the Single Solution (to society’s ills), i.e. AI; i.e. Rationality. Particularly abstract solutions, mind you. A lot of what goes on around here is quite Utilitarian, a point alone which should make people sit back and consider, “do we really have the knowledge and capabilities yet to resolve through advanced AI the serious unresolved problems of Utilitarianism?” I’d say that you’d better be Insanely Sure. The bar for evidence better be high, this is high-risk territory. Or, instead, are the Old Dead Guys who have discussed these problems Not Worth Reading either? “Stick with our dogma peeps, don’t confuse yourselves!”...
..Oh man, when you’re telling people “don’t confuse yourselves with the old literature, you are in really altered reality. Wow. Cults.
Quite strange all the denial. But then again, that’s what group think is all about.
In these articles, I believe Less Wrong is approaching extraordinary levels of group think. I had the misfortune of growing up as the child of bona fide cult members, complete with guru. There are many similarities here.
And what is significantly absent is self-awareness of the blatant conceit in believing that some super smart dude can reinvent all thinking all-by-self (don’t deny it, that’s what’s going on). I have been disgusted by articles written by Eleazar which virtually lifted whole swaths of Nietzsche, completely unattributed. There is no way that most of this is original thinking.
And I’ll also point out to all the people with rationality blinders on that if the poor dumb sheeples (as appears to be the general attitude around here) get wind that you’re anywhere close to installing super-awesome robot overlords that you are certain will rule with love and compassion, then we’ll see an uprising which will make the French Revolution look like a love-in.
Really super disgusted. And I don’t even give a shit about Wittgenstein. Though I think rationalists who believe they have found or are close to finding the key to living and thinking non-metaphorically are living in their own very delusional altered reality.
What’s most ironic is that Less Wrong IS mainstream philosophy. Look around peeps, this IS the zeitgeist of the scientific set. Just because universities haven’t caught up with you means Nothing. Get some self-awareness, this is pure and simply an advanced step in the progression of the Enlightenment, although more accurately it’s an advanced step in scientific reason a-la the school of Socrates. Of course you’re different, advanced, but you are a part of that specific genealogy. And this is the damning lack of awareness most present in this mindset. You are children of Enlightenment. (Go ahead, murder your fathers ;)
The analysis of mainstream philosophy is missing some key analytical components. Namely, the big picture: the nature, progression of change at, and priorities of academia overall. The political and social world in which that academic progression took shape. The rationalizations and biases supporting major universities as suppliers of ruling classes, as well as the rationalizations and biases of the academia in working class university, and of course the funding of all of the above, and how those shape thinking. Not exploring this issues is tantamount to not exploring the problem. It’s just hand wringing.
And why this glaring lack? Those are the hard problems. Hard to talk about aren’t they. Hell, all this philosophy debate sparks hundreds of comments, but this is a particularly abstract topic. 10% concrete development, 90% repainting the bike shed.
Here’s my contribution to LW: the Fallacy of the Single Solution (to society’s ills), i.e. AI; i.e. Rationality. Particularly abstract solutions, mind you. A lot of what goes on around here is quite Utilitarian, a point alone which should make people sit back and consider, “do we really have the knowledge and capabilities yet to resolve through advanced AI the serious unresolved problems of Utilitarianism?” I’d say that you’d better be Insanely Sure. The bar for evidence better be high, this is high-risk territory. Or, instead, are the Old Dead Guys who have discussed these problems Not Worth Reading either? “Stick with our dogma peeps, don’t confuse yourselves!”...
..Oh man, when you’re telling people “don’t confuse yourselves with the old literature, you are in really altered reality. Wow. Cults.
Quite strange all the denial. But then again, that’s what group think is all about.