RE: My Fears

From: Robin Hanson (rhanson@gmu.edu)
Date: Wed Jun 04 2003 - 07:29:38 MDT

  • Next message: Brett Paatsch: "Re: Extro-biz"

    Phil Osborn wrote:
    >The "salon" model is perhaps the closest to what is
    >workable and desirable. One of the things that one
    >expects to happen at a salon is that people will be
    >outrageous, sometimes to get attention, sometimes to
    >force consideration of an issue that gets shoved under
    >the table repeatedly. Such people can be laughed at,
    >ridiculed, humored, whatever. However, they serve at
    >least one useful purpose, regardless of the merits of
    >what they present to us: they demonstrate that there
    >is in fact an atmosphere of free inquiry. Without
    >that, the salon is just another fashion clique, and
    >any credibility is purely incidental.
    >Unfortunately, some people on this list are typically
    >so worried that someone might post something that
    >would be "embarrassing" to extropianism that at many,
    >many points in the past this has served to either
    >stifle real free discussion, ... This response
    >itself tends to DIScredit any credibility of the list.
    >The only proper response - assuming that one considers
    >the forum to worth preserving - is to demonstrate the
    >impotence of such threats by being even more obnoxious
    >and outrageous, even if one is disinclined to be so by
    >nature. Then, if that does not result in banishment
    >or censorship, we can feel reasonably assured that the
    >forum is still free.
    >I would suggest, therefore, that everyone attending
    >this salon of, for and by the future take it upon
    >themselves to make at least one truly outrageous post
    >every month or so ...

    You seem to believe a model of conversation wherein
    people will speak the truth unless social pressure
    forces them to conform to a particular party line. But
    there can be social pressure to be outrageous as well,
    as you demonstrate above. And the absence of social
    pressure is not the key to truth; social pressure
    often helps the cause of truth, by making people pause
    before saying something untrue.

    It is far from clear what the ideal social context is
    for inducing a group like this to best learn truth,
    and to credibly communicate that to outsiders. But a
    quick survey of groups that are considered reliable
    sources doesn't suggest that the best route is to try
    to say crazy-sounding things as often as possible.

    Robin Hanson rhanson@gmu.edu http://hanson.gmu.edu
    Assistant Professor of Economics, George Mason University
    MSN 1D3, Carow Hall, Fairfax VA 22030-4444
    703-993-2326 FAX: 703-993-2323



    This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.5 : Wed Jun 04 2003 - 07:41:58 MDT