Comment by rcriii on Rationality Quotes 3 · 2008-01-18T20:46:36.000Z · LW · GW

"My best test for a libertarian so far is to ask what needs to be done to protect ancient sequoias. If you say you need to buy them, you pass." -- Rafal Smigrodzki

So now I have to be an expert on ancient sequoias to be a Libertarian? I'm less of one every day...

Comment by rcriii on Rationality Quotes 3 · 2008-01-18T20:46:16.000Z · LW · GW

"My best test for a libertarian so far is to ask what needs to be done to protect ancient sequoias. If you say you need to buy them, you pass." -- Rafal Smigrodzki

So now I have to be an expert on ancient sequoias to be a Libertarian? I'm less of one every day...

Comment by rcriii on You Are Not Hiring the Top 1% · 2007-03-02T19:40:30.000Z · LW · GW

When you get 200 resumes, and hire the best person, does that mean you're hiring the top 0.5%? Think about what happens to the other 199 that you didn't hire.

This assumes that you (1) know what constitutes the best person, (2) that you are even capable of identifying that person, and (3) that the best person for you is the best for all.

To me the problem in hiring is not finding the best 1% (or 5 or 10%), but sorting the good from the bad. Once you have the good, then the problem of which are good for you almost sorts itself out.