Tag Archives: rationality

In Favor of Niceness, Community, and Civilization

[Content warning: Discussion of social justice, discussion of violence, spoilers for Jacqueline Carey books.] [Edit 10/25: This post was inspired by a debate with a friend of a friend on Facebook who has since become somewhat famous. I’ve renamed him … Continue reading

The Spirit Of The First Amendment

Popehat comments on some of the same issues I brought up yesterday from the opposite point of view. They bring up an interesting idea they call the “Doctrine Of The Preferred First Speaker”: The phrase “the spirit of the First … Continue reading

Less Wrong, More Rite (II)

Every year people mock the Rationalist Solstice Ritual. And every year I read the discussions, nod, and then go to New York and have a great time and meet amazing people and have fascinating discussions and get the songs stuck … Continue reading

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Fake Consensualism

[A previous version of this essay was posted incomplete. This is the full version] I. Dear friend, have you considered banning health care? Several studies agree that sick people are often treated against their preferences and sometimes against their explicit … Continue reading

On first looking into Chapman’s “Pop Bayesianism”

I. David Chapman keeps complaining that “Bayesianism” – as used to describe a philosophy rather than just a branch of statistics – is meaningless or irrelevant, yet is touted as being the Sacred Solution To Everything. In my reply on … Continue reading

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Arguments From My Opponent Believes Something

1. Argument From My Opponent Believes Something, Which Is Kinda Like Believing It On Faith, Which Is Kinda Like Them Being A Religion: “The high priests of the economic orthodoxy take it on faith that anyone who doubts the market … Continue reading

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Proving Too Much

The fallacy of Proving Too Much is when you challenge an argument because, in addition to proving its intended conclusion, it also proves obviously false conclusions. For example, if someone says “You can’t be an atheist, because it’s impossible to … Continue reading

Poor Folks Do Smile…For Now

I got the opportunity to talk to GMU professor and futurist Robin Hanson today, which I immediately seized upon to iron out the few disagreements I still have with someone so brilliant. The most pressing of these is his four … Continue reading

MetaMed launch day

I said a few days ago that I would be a terrible businessman because my attempts to promote things tend to meander into attempts to steelman the case against them. So I will spare MetaMed the ordeal of having me … Continue reading