I 100% agree with you on your general point, Akash, but I think something slightly different is going on here, and I think it’s important to get it right.
To me, it sounds like you’re saying, ‘Bob is developing a more healthy relationship with EA’. However, I think what’s actually happening is more like, ‘Bob used to think EA was a cool thing, and it helped him do cool things, but then people associated with it kept doing things Bob found repugnant, and so now Bob does not want anything to do with it’.
Bob, forgive me for speaking on your behalf, and please correct me if I have misinterpreted things.
A bit strong, but about right. The strategy the rationalists describe seems to stem from a desire to ensure their own intellectual development, which is, after all, the rationalist project. By disregarding social norms you can start conversing with lots of people about lots of stuff you otherwise wouldn’t have been able to. Tempting, however, my own (intellectual) freedom is not my primary concern; my primary concern is the overall happiness (or feelings, if you will) of others, and certain social norms are there to protect that.
I 100% agree with you on your general point, Akash, but I think something slightly different is going on here, and I think it’s important to get it right.
To me, it sounds like you’re saying, ‘Bob is developing a more healthy relationship with EA’. However, I think what’s actually happening is more like, ‘Bob used to think EA was a cool thing, and it helped him do cool things, but then people associated with it kept doing things Bob found repugnant, and so now Bob does not want anything to do with it’.
Bob, forgive me for speaking on your behalf, and please correct me if I have misinterpreted things.
A bit strong, but about right. The strategy the rationalists describe seems to stem from a desire to ensure their own intellectual development, which is, after all, the rationalist project. By disregarding social norms you can start conversing with lots of people about lots of stuff you otherwise wouldn’t have been able to. Tempting, however, my own (intellectual) freedom is not my primary concern; my primary concern is the overall happiness (or feelings, if you will) of others, and certain social norms are there to protect that.