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Russell Conjugations list & voting thread

by Daniel Kokotajlo
20th Feb 2023
1 min read
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23

EducationEmotionsRationality
Frontpage

23

Russell Conjugations list & voting thread
14localdeity
12Daniel Kokotajlo
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6Zach Stein-Perlman
6Gunnar_Zarncke
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3Ian McKenzie
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[-]localdeity2y1422

I update, you change your mind, he backpedals.

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[-]Daniel Kokotajlo2y1216

We fight disinformation, you moderate content, they censor dissent.

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[-]localdeity2y97

I'm the red team, you're a devil's advocate, he's a troll.

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[-]localdeity2y97

I govern, you rule, he oppresses.

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[-]Daniel Kokotajlo2y911

I am passionate, you're emotional, she's hysterical.

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[-]localdeity2y74

I punish, you retaliate, he perpetuates the cycle of violence.

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[-]localdeity2y75

I am dependable, you are consistent, he is predictable.

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[-]Zach Stein-Perlman10d60

I'm a master artisan of great foresight, you're taking time to do something right, they're a perfectionist with no ability to prioritize. Source: xkcd.

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[-]Gunnar_Zarncke2y60

I asked ChatGPT

How can the concept of an emotive conjugation be extended into an orthogonal dimension?

And got the quite good answer:

Emotive conjugation can be extended into an orthogonal dimension by considering the emotional valence of the conjugated words, as well as their emotional intensity or magnitude. This creates a two-dimensional emotional space that captures the range of emotions that can be expressed by a given word or phrase.

For example, we can use the emotional valence of words along the vertical axis of the emotional space, where positive emotions are at the top, neutral emotions are in the middle, and negative emotions are at the bottom. The emotional intensity of words can be placed along the horizontal axis, where low emotional intensity is on the left and high emotional intensity is on the right.

By placing different words in this emotional space, we can visualize the range of emotions they convey, and how intense or mild those emotions are. This can help us better understand the emotional impact of different words and phrases, and how they might be received by different audiences.

By using this two-dimensional emotional space, we can explore how words and phrases can be modified to convey different emotional nuances, and how these modifications might impact the emotional responses of the listener or reader. This can be especially useful in fields such as marketing, advertising, and politics, where the emotional impact of language can be a critical factor in shaping public opinion and behavior.

Later I asked for examples:

Give more examples in this format: 

  • low intensity positive: serene 
  • low intensity neutral: calm 
  • low intensity negative: bored 
  • high intensity positive: excited 
  • high intensity neutral: engaged 
  • high intensity negative: obsessed

And got these nice results:

Sure, here are some more examples in the same format:

  • Low intensity positive: content 
  • Low intensity neutral: satisfied 
  • Low intensity negative: indifferent 
  • High intensity positive: ecstatic 
  • High intensity neutral: focused 
  • High intensity negative: fixated

 

  • Low intensity positive: comfortable 
  • Low intensity neutral: adequate 
  • Low intensity negative: mediocre 
  • High intensity positive: luxurious 
  • High intensity neutral: lavish 
  • High intensity negative: extravagant

 

  • Low intensity positive: friendly 
  • Low intensity neutral: polite 
  • Low intensity negative: distant 
  • High intensity positive: affectionate 
  • High intensity neutral: attentive 
  • High intensity negative: possessive

 

  • Low intensity positive: grateful 
  • Low intensity neutral: appreciative 
  • Low intensity negative: indifferent 
  • High intensity positive: indebted 
  • High intensity neutral: obligated 
  • High intensity negative: guilty

 

  • Low intensity positive: relaxed 
  • Low intensity neutral: composed 
  • Low intensity negative: detached 
  • High intensity positive: exhilarated 
  • High intensity neutral: stimulated 
  • High intensity negative: frenzied
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[-]localdeity2y69

I hint, you imply, he insinuates.

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[-]localdeity2y68

I am brave, you are risk-taking, he is reckless.

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[-]Daniel Kokotajlo2y66

I am confident, you are cocky, he is arrogant.

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[-]Gunnar_Zarncke2y51

We're careful (positive), you're cautious (neutral), they're paranoid (negative).

(via ChatGPT)

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[-]Gunnar_Zarncke2y42

Also called Emotive conjugation (Wikipedia link) which lists the following examples (those with (*) already posted).

  • I am firm, you are obstinate, he/she is a pig-headed fool. (*)
  • I am sparking; you are unusually talkative; he is drunk.
  • I know my own mind; you like things to be just so; they have to have everything their way.
  • I am a freedom fighter, you are a rebel, and he is a terrorist. (*)
  • I am righteously indignant, you are annoyed, he is making a fuss over nothing. (*)
  • I have reconsidered the matter, you have changed your mind, he has gone back on his word. (*)
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[-]Ian McKenzie2y30

The Wikipedia article has a typo in one of these: it should say "I am sparkling; you are unusually talkative; he is drunk." (as in the source)

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[-]localdeity2y44

My program is elegant, yours is short, his is simplistic.

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[-]localdeity2y48

I pick my battles, you retreat, he runs away.

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[-]LVSN2y46

*he is a coward ?

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[-]localdeity2y44

I invest, you spend, he squanders.

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[-]Daniel Kokotajlo2y44

We are looking into it, you are doing nothing, they are stonewalling.

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[-]Daniel Kokotajlo2y43

I discover, you hypothesize, they speculate.

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[-]Daniel Kokotajlo2y45

I am firm, you are obstinate, he is pig-headed.

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[-]localdeity2y3-3

I am realistic, you are pessimistic, he has lost hope.

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[-]Richard_Kennaway2y30

“All the world's mad except thee and me, and I'm not sure about thee.” (traditional saying)

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[-]localdeity2y38

I pay homage, you reference, he rips off.

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[-]Daniel Kokotajlo2y39

We are freedom fighters, you are insurgents, they are terrorists.

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[-]Daniel Kokotajlo2y31

We don't mind if you do it when you need to, you are relaxed about that sort of thing, they flagrantly violate company policy.

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[-]Daniel Kokotajlo2y37

I'm calm, you're detached, they lack empathy.

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[-]Daniel Kokotajlo2y30

We fight disinformation, you moderate content, they censor dissent.

[This comment is no longer endorsed by its author]Reply
[-]Gunnar_Zarncke2y42

Duplicate of https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/rnSR2jmQBLxTiNtoy/russell-conjugations-list-and-voting-thread?commentId=a3FCJzEywn589fsfo 

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[-]Daniel Kokotajlo2y34

I'm clear, you're blunt, he's rude.

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[-]Daniel Kokotajlo2y34

We protest, you riot, they insurrect.

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[-]Gunnar_Zarncke2y20

Overlaps with https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/rnSR2jmQBLxTiNtoy/russell-conjugations-list-and-voting-thread?commentId=b8TAWCnFc9GtGBZHG 

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[-]Daniel Kokotajlo2y35

I am sharp, you are detail-oriented, he is a nitpicker.

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[-]Richard_Kennaway2y22

We are a community, you are a clique, they are a farcical hangout club.

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[-]Gunnar_Zarncke2y20

I asked ChatGPT for examples and posted sensible ones as individual comments (marked with "via ChatGPT"). This was the prompt:

Here are examples of Russell Conjugations (also called Emotive Conjugation): 

* We fight disinformation (positive); you moderate content (neutral); they censor dissent (negative). 

* I am passionate (positive), you're emotional (neutral), she's hysterical (negative). 

* I govern (positive), you rule (neutral), he oppresses (negative).

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[-]Gunnar_Zarncke2y23

I'm curious (positive), you're inquisitive (neutral), she's nosy (negative).

(via ChatGPT)

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[-]Richard_Kennaway2y2-6

I am right. You are wrong. They are not even wrong.

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[-]localdeity2y26

I exercise a constitutional right, you refuse a search, he obstructs justice.

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[-]localdeity2y2-3

I am innocent, you are accused, he is guilty.

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[-]localdeity2y26

My proof eschews unnecessary detail, yours leaves exercises to the reader, his is incomplete.

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[-]localdeity2y2-1

I'm white hat, you're grey hat, he's black hat.

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[-]localdeity2y25

I whistleblow, you leak, he violates NDA.

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[-]localdeity2y23

I conduct experiments, you try things, he screws around.

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[-]localdeity2y24

I execute, you kill, he murders.

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[-]localdeity2y24

I have an independent mind, you are an eccentric, he is round the twist. (from Yes Minister)

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[-]Daniel Kokotajlo2y20

I give confidential press briefings, you leak, he's spying.

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[-]localdeity2y40

The original from Yes Minister: "I give a confidential press briefing, you leak, he's being charged under Section 2(a) of the Official Secrets Act".

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[-]Daniel Kokotajlo2y25

We advocate, you lobby, they schmooze.

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[-]Daniel Kokotajlo2y21

I am righteously indignant, you are annoyed, he is making a fuss over nothing.

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[-]TimmyM3mo10

I know it's been a long time since anyone posted here, but I just stumbled across this post. For the past year and a half, I have been training a finetuned ChatGPT model to identify and reverse examples of Russell Conjugations in given text. There are still improvements that need to be made, so I'll try to include some of these examples in the training set for the new model.

I released the tool last week, and anyone can try it out here: https://russellconjugations.com/

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[-]Gunnar_Zarncke2y10

They're persuasive (positive), you're convincing (neutral), he's manipulative (negative).

(via ChatGPT)

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[-]Daniel Kokotajlo2y20

I think convincing is more positive than persuasive.

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[-]Gunnar_Zarncke2y11

He's knowledgeable (positive), you're informed (neutral), she's a know-it-all (negative).

(via ChatGPT)

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[-]Gunnar_Zarncke2y0-8

She's confident (positive), you're hesitant (neutral), he's doubtful (negative).

(via ChatGPT)

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[-]Gunnar_Zarncke2y01

They're enthusiastic (positive), you're interested (neutral), he's obsessed (negative).

(via ChatGPT)

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[-]Gunnar_Zarncke2y04

I'm ambitious (positive), you're driven (neutral), she's ruthless (negative).

(via ChatGPT)

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[-]Gunnar_Zarncke2y00

They're assertive (positive), you're bossy (neutral), she's aggressive (negative).

(via ChatGPT)

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[-]Gunnar_Zarncke2y01

I'm frugal (positive), you're thrifty (neutral), she's cheap (negative).

(via ChatGPT)

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[-]Gunnar_Zarncke2y00

We're innovative (positive), you're unconventional (neutral), they're eccentric (negative).

(via ChatGPT)

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[-]Gunnar_Zarncke2y00

I'm dedicated (positive), you're stubborn (neutral), he's pigheaded (negative).

(via ChatGPT)


 

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[-]Richard_Kennaway2y0-7

EXTERMINATE! EXTERMINATE! EXTERMINATE!

Which being expanded from the Daleks' abbreviated form of expression, means:

"I exterminate. You are being exterminated. They will be exterminated."

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[-]Richard_Kennaway2y0-4

I exist. You're an NPC I made up. They're scenery.

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[+]Richard_Kennaway2y-5-4
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64Comments

Russell conjugations humorously illustrate how the same concept can be expressed with different phrasings that carry positive, neutral, or negative valence. Examples below.

I wish they were taught in schools. I think it's a high bang-for-buck rationality technique, to 'conjugate' and translate back and forth between the positive and negative valences. If you can do this effortlessly and automatically, you are more likely to do so in situations where you are in danger of making epistemic or moral errors if you don't.

Below in the comments I'm making a list of Russell conjugations I've heard and generated. Please add more of your own. Agreement-upvote them if you think they are a solid contribution to the list, agreement-downvote them if you think the overall list would be better off without them.

If we get enough, maybe it'll be a useful fine-tuning or few-shot prompt for LLMs. (The votes will be helpful for quality control.) Maybe. I can dream.