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Comment by Zuckaschnegge on Positive Bias: Look Into the Dark · 2012-05-21T10:18:46.889Z · LW · GW

I wonder why noone cares to mention Ockham's Razor in this situation. As already a couple of times mentioned, there are infinite rules possible to describe a finite set of numbers. thereby we can only start at the least restricting rule possible and work our way farther in until we get to a point where we are not able to find a set of numbers working for our rule, but not for the rule to find within a certain interval of time. thereby i start by saying its all numbers. obviously ill find a couple of pairs not matching the correct rule. ill then start trying whole numbers. after that i might try ascending numbers or at least a>b or b>c... the only important thing to do here is to find the simplest solution still possible.

So i actually wouldnt try finding anything thats not fitting my assumptions, since there would be way more sets not fitting my assumption and not fitting the solution.

Comment by Zuckaschnegge on Belief in Self-Deception · 2012-04-27T07:48:03.407Z · LW · GW

(One of the other few moments that gave her pause—I mention this, in case you have occasion to use it—is when she was |talking about how it's good to believe that someone cares whether you do right or wrong—not, of course, talking about how there actually is a God who cares whether you do right or wrong, this proposition is not part of her religion—

And I said, "But I care whether you do right or wrong. So what you're saying is that this isn't enough, and you also need to believe in something above humanity that cares whether you do right or wrong." So that stopped her, for a bit, because of course she'd never thought of it in those terms before. Just a standard application of the nonstandard toolbox.)

What i think about here is, that whether or not you care about whether she does right or wrong, to her you are an outsider, one who does not know everything she knows, one who has no insight in what she thinks about the things she does, no insight in what she actually intends to do. So in other words you have no real way of judging her doing to be right or wrong. The only way for her to think of someone to overlook her actions, is to actually believe in an omniscent god, im atheist but i still believe there are good things and bad things for me to do. (might not be a rational thought but i think of it as a neccessary one). In other words my conscience is the being overlooking my doings.

So my guess here would be that she might give her conscience a name and form it in a way to fit in with others people consciences(in other words any religious group whatsoever). To her, god might well be her conscience with a name atheists dont like to hear.

Comment by Zuckaschnegge on Belief in Self-Deception · 2012-04-27T07:31:36.902Z · LW · GW

What would the actual difference be? You have a subjective view of your emotions (and anything else anyway). so believing you are happy would be the same as being happy, as long as you are not aware of the fact that you are only believing in your happiness.

Comment by Zuckaschnegge on Belief in Self-Deception · 2012-04-27T07:19:49.150Z · LW · GW

I would much rather think of it the other way around. As far as I know the average person is exactly as nice as the average person is. However, when she said she believed people are nicer than they actually are i guess it is because her estimation of the average niceness of a person is biased and she is actually falsely believing people are worse than they are. This might well be some kind of defense mechanism she developed. Of course if you expect worse than average, the chances of you being positively surprised are way higher than the other way around.