PSA:

Do not feed trolls.

In ages past, vitriol like this would be downvoted into oblivion. This was out of recognition that norms of good discourse are more important than the content of arguments. Failure to abide by this spreads rot and makes good communal epistemic hygiene even more difficult.

I notice downvoting is disabled now. Which, sadly, means that people will be tempted to engage with this. Which reinforces a norm of having one's dissent noticed by acting like an unapologetic asshole. Which burns the future of this garden.

So as a close second, I advise just thoroughly ignoring 18239018038528017428 unless and until they step up to meet more noble conversational norms. If there are good points to be made here, they should be converted into the truth-seeking style Less Wrong aspires to so that we can all engage with them in a more hygienic way.

I appreciate Duncan's attempts to do that conversion and speak to the converted form of the argument.

But unless and until I see enough evidence to convince me otherwise, I assume 18239018038528017428's intentions are not truth-seeking. I assume they are inflammatory and will not change via civil discourse.

Ergo, request to all:

Do not feed trolls.

PS: I will follow my own advice here and have no intention of replying to 18239018038528017428 unless and until they transpose their discourse into the key of decency. I expect them to reply to me here, probably with more vitriol and some kind of personal attack and/or attempt to discredit me personally. My ignoring them should be taken as my following my own policy. Note that if 18239018038528017428 does reply with vitriol, it will probably be in some way fashioned as an attempt to make my very refusal to engage look like confirmation of their narrative. Please filter your reading of any replies to my message here accordingly.

Maxlove

Maxlove

Maxlove

Maxlove