I haven’t waded into the deep end of comments elsewhere but just want to make a simple point: the way Bostrom’s apology starts is awful.
“I do think that provocative communication styles have a place—but not like this!”
This comment just plainly doesn’t make any sense! It’s saying that he believes in provocation as a style, but has a problem with…the provocative style in which he once expressed that view. And there’s no further clarification of the places where provocative communication styles are appropriate, and how his thinking has changed (even if it changed within 24 hours) on whether this particular example was appropriate or not.
Everything in the entire discussion seems downstream of this core point, which is completely botched in the apology. There are similar moments in the rest (like the “what about eugenics?” discussion, or decrying “sloganeering”) that could be dissected alone but this one is emblematic enough on its own.
It made perfect sense to me. All kinds of authors know that there is value in provocative communication. e.g. how about that book titled “Against Empathy”. Provocative, right? He’s agreeing with that common viewpoint, but adding that there are wrong ways to be provocative, as exemplified by that awful old email.
On the other hand, I do not understand how “the entire discussion seems downstream of this core point”. Which core point? (That this is the wrong way to be provocative? That provocative writing has a place?) I do think some people would be upset if he said too much about provocativeness.
It’s not at all clear from the apology what subset of provocative communication styles Bostrom still believes in — and finds it necessary to defend categorically before even starting to apologize — and what subset he now condemns. As far as I can tell, he still “likes” “repugnant” formulations of statements one believes as costly signals of one’s commitment to truth-telling and merely regrets that this example will turn out to be too costly.
I haven’t waded into the deep end of comments elsewhere but just want to make a simple point: the way Bostrom’s apology starts is awful.
“I do think that provocative communication styles have a place—but not like this!”
This comment just plainly doesn’t make any sense! It’s saying that he believes in provocation as a style, but has a problem with…the provocative style in which he once expressed that view. And there’s no further clarification of the places where provocative communication styles are appropriate, and how his thinking has changed (even if it changed within 24 hours) on whether this particular example was appropriate or not.
Everything in the entire discussion seems downstream of this core point, which is completely botched in the apology. There are similar moments in the rest (like the “what about eugenics?” discussion, or decrying “sloganeering”) that could be dissected alone but this one is emblematic enough on its own.
It made perfect sense to me. All kinds of authors know that there is value in provocative communication. e.g. how about that book titled “Against Empathy”. Provocative, right? He’s agreeing with that common viewpoint, but adding that there are wrong ways to be provocative, as exemplified by that awful old email.
On the other hand, I do not understand how “the entire discussion seems downstream of this core point”. Which core point? (That this is the wrong way to be provocative? That provocative writing has a place?) I do think some people would be upset if he said too much about provocativeness.
It’s not at all clear from the apology what subset of provocative communication styles Bostrom still believes in — and finds it necessary to defend categorically before even starting to apologize — and what subset he now condemns. As far as I can tell, he still “likes” “repugnant” formulations of statements one believes as costly signals of one’s commitment to truth-telling and merely regrets that this example will turn out to be too costly.