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On rationality

14 November 2011 - - - - - -
Posted by Kai Teorn
Why it is so is a topic for another discussion... but it's obvious that (the Cult of) Rationality is a rising wave and a new battle cry.

And that might be a good thing in itself - if only rationality were always treated completely, well, rationally.

Here's...

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Tags: rationality, yudkowski 2 Comments


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On loving humanity

01 June 2011 - - - - - -
Posted by Kai Teorn
Joseph Conrad once wrote to Herbert Wells: "You don't care for humanity but think they are to be improved. I love humanity but know they are not."

It may be even more true than most realize - or rather, more symmetric.

The conservative love that fails to acknowledge both the fact of slow changes in the human nature...

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Superintelligence?

23 April 2011 - - - - - -
Posted by Kai Teorn
The notions of "superintelligence" and "singularity" - both a staple of modern scifi - seem to me disturbingly similar to the old idea of God. Something explicitly relying on superlatives, something with (vaguely) supernatural powers, and something of which we have no proof of existence whatsoever.

Moreover, the very idea of...

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More on backslide perceptions

22 April 2011 - - - - - -
Posted by Kai Teorn
Expansion erodes unity: the single harmonic stream has broken into a delta of tiny rivulets drying into the sand - a sad
picture... even if their summary watershed is much greater than that of the source stream.

Also, growth is stereotypically slow and organic whereas crumbling is earth-shattering, in-your-face; by a recoil of logic,...

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Backslide bias

21 April 2011 - - - - - -
Posted by Kai Teorn
"Backslide bias" (a proposed term) is the main reason that makes one "perceive a regress whenever there's an advance." It works like this: as some idea, movement, practice gains currency and mindshare in society and attracts new followers, the original message is inevitably "diluted" or even "distorted"...

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