Questions for the Singularity Summit

post by lessdazed · 2011-10-15T00:10:48.179Z · LW · GW · Legacy · 2 comments

Here is a place to talk about questions for the speakers at the Singularity Summit.

People are often afraid that they have stupid questions, and fail to ask their good questions that would have benefited many - either by increasing their understanding, showcasing the character of a speaker who admits to not knowing something, or showing by the lack of an adequate response that the speaker's argument is flawed.

This is an overblown fear that is quite irrational - irrational to the extent that their emotions lead them to think that the consequences of their asking a stupid question will be severe. People will have unpleasant emotional reactions if embarrassed, but their emotions are needlessly warning them not to risk status before the tribe lest they get cast out and die. That's unlikely to happen.

People's reluctance to ask questions is rational to the extent that many questions are, by any reasonable description, stupid.

So let's use this thread to gain confidence that our questions aren't of the latter type, or to get answers, or to get better questions.

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