An example I remember from a non-EA, mostly male meetup:
Man, striking up conversation with new woman attendee: “So, are you actually interested in [topic of the meetup] or did someone drag you here?” When I objected, he said, “It’s just that most of the women who come here are dragged by someone else.” That might have been true, but it sure wasn’t what I’d want to hear as a new attendee.
It might be a mistake people are more likely to make if they think explicitly about Bayesianism. “I have some data on what people like you are like; let me tell you my prior.” But one point of a meetup is to encounter people as individuals. If I understand Bayesian terms right, it’s about gathering data to inform your posteriors—what is this specific person actually like?
In some cases it’s not a bad idea to let your priors drive conversation—if I meet someone who’s a biology student, I might guess they’re interested in topic X. But in other cases it’s just insulting.
I’d be a lot less annoyed about it in this particular conversation—I’ve seen it brought up in much less relevant contexts.
An example I remember from a non-EA, mostly male meetup:
Man, striking up conversation with new woman attendee: “So, are you actually interested in [topic of the meetup] or did someone drag you here?” When I objected, he said, “It’s just that most of the women who come here are dragged by someone else.” That might have been true, but it sure wasn’t what I’d want to hear as a new attendee.
It might be a mistake people are more likely to make if they think explicitly about Bayesianism. “I have some data on what people like you are like; let me tell you my prior.” But one point of a meetup is to encounter people as individuals. If I understand Bayesian terms right, it’s about gathering data to inform your posteriors—what is this specific person actually like?
In some cases it’s not a bad idea to let your priors drive conversation—if I meet someone who’s a biology student, I might guess they’re interested in topic X. But in other cases it’s just insulting.