Are you a contrarian? Or just a fool? The question to ask is: Are you MORE OFTEN RIGHT than others? If not — then you’re just a fool, aren’t you? Of course there’s the question of payoff Maybe your scepticism makes you unduly reject prevailing wisdom sometimes, And maybe it makes you susceptible …
Tag: Intelligence
The Software and Hardware of Mind
There’s a computational theory of mind Maybe it’s right maybe it’s wrong It’s cute, philosophically But isn’t it profound practically? Your results are downstream from your actions, which are downstream from your mind Isn’t your mind quite like a computer? We speculated about our nature since time immemorial But aren’t computers some of …
There Are No Gurus — Only Experts
There are no gurus Only experts We distrust experts Because experts are sometimes wrong, or corrupted What a joke It’s like distrusting air because sometimes it smells Doesn’t mean you should stop breathing Experts are still the best we have By definition, that’s what expert is — the most qualified, educated, capable person …
Engineer Your Models Of Reality, Or Stay Stupid
If you ever studied anything complex — you know it is necessary to gradually develop one’s understanding complex like physics, math, respectable chess ranking, Even less complex subjects you don’t learn overnight, like driving a car Why would your own ideas be any different? Ideas and opinions and views Why would they magically develop …
The Consilience of MAINSTREAM (Mainstream is Underrated)
“consilience (also convergence of evidence or concordance of evidence) is the principle that evidence from independent, unrelated sources can “converge” on strong conclusions” This also matches my observation about society, collective, the hive-mind, and leads me to the following formula: CONTRARIANS on average < MAINSTREAM on average < nuanced takes of intelligent informed …
Good Theory vs Shit Theory
Good theory is like an edifice Good theory is an edifice Bad theory is a juvenile fantasy It’s mashing lego bricks together It’s doodling a tower with crayons It’s a castle made of sand It’s a house of cards Good theory is a structure that doesn’t collapse How does a theory collapse? …
AI is Intelligent AND Makes Us Super-Intelligent
AI is of course intelligence — “artificial” intelligence It’s not human intelligence yet, of course It exceeds us at some domains — and is utterly helpless in others (it exceeds either when: -there are clear rules — it can then “play with itself” and figure out optimal strategy (e.g. chess) -or when there’s mountains …
Always Remember How Stupidity And Evil Are One
Stupidity and evil are one and the same At worst, our system is stupid, flawed — therefore it fails to prevent evil But otherwise we, as individuals, harm others and ourselves and this world — out of ignorance We could have made this place more wonderful for ourselves and others, but we’re too stupid …
Degrees of Probability (Knowledge), Degrees of Stupidity
That which is wrong has to be proven wrong in but a single way And that which is right — has to NOT be proven wrong…. and hopefully after being subjected to a lot of testing So is there more WRONGS or RIGHTS, in this world? Ultimately, there’s just extremely lot of very improbable, and …
What Is A NEW Perspective, Actually?
What is a NEW perspective? New perspective is one of the two things: Someone looking further, or deeper, or broader Or someone looking from a different angle, different perspective Looking deeper, further, broader, is a function of lens, is it not? And what are the characteristics of the lens? Maybe it can zoom …