Reading Level of Less Wrong

I have no idea how google's algorithms work. If they're counting syllables per word or evaluating vocabulary then ranking as advanced is evidence for both the claim that we use too much jargon and the claim that we talk about difficult and complex ideas. But that isn't the only evidence to consider. We've both read much of Less Wrong and can evaluate the difficulty and complexity of the ideas we discuss here. Do you not think we talk about difficult and complex ideas here? If so, what makes you think the 'advanced' rating is a product of poor writing rather than attempts to grapple with complexity?

I bet my use of the word 'algorithm' in my first sentence increases our rating. Would you like to suggest another word to replace it?

Most reading level metrics are calculated with something like 206.835 - 1.015(total words/total sentences) - 84.6(total syllables/total words)*. Others involve long paragraphs and whatnot.

Besides being an amalgamation of funky constants to get answers the way they want (100 is easy, 0 is best for college-educated folks) it favors run-on sentences with polysyllabic words.

I think that most of the time, short well-phrased sentences are more understandable.

Long sentences of big words seem to be reminiscent of the incomprehensible journal article that takes effort to understand the language of, or the papers that kids in school throw together without regard for conveying an understanding of the subject, let alone editing for clarity.

*http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flesch%E2%80%93Kincaid_readability_test

It tends to indicate intricate grammar. Tangled sentences are a hazard of attempting precision in English.

It'd be interesting to run the numbers on the top-rated comments, to see how much of a problem this is considered in practice.

• Top comments in main: 15% Basic, 65% Intermediate, 18% Advanced.
• Top comments in discussion: 14% Basic, 60% Intermediate, 26% Advanced.

Of course, that's just the front page of top comments, so these numbers are purely entertainment. But someone could do it more robustly if they care to.

'Advanced' reading level is almost always a pretty good proxy for obfuscation, rather than for intelligence.

It's a good proxy for both. I don't see much obfuscation here. I do see a lot of people trying to precisely nail down ideas that are difficult to express.