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SilverFlame — LessWrong

SilverFlame

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SilverFlame

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Computer scientist
Fairly deep experience with self-programming and modification of intuition/reflexes
Personal jargon/nomenclature was developed in isolation and seldom matches what other people use

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3y

SilverFlame

Computer scientist
Fairly deep experience with self-programming and modification of intuition/reflexes
Personal jargon/nomenclature was developed in isolation and seldom matches what other people use

Top postsTop post

flowing like water; hard like stone

SilverFlame I noticed in your recent post that you described "rhetorical aikido", which you called a Daoist technique. I have studied the Tao Te Ching's text a fair bit over the past few years, and I find its philosophy to be quite useful as a "theme" or "virtue". I've not had the opportunity to speak with others who seem to understand the Daoist perspective, so I thought this could be an interesting opportunity to expand my understanding a bit. lsusr I am flattered you feel I give the impression of understanding the Daoist perspective. I have read only the first sentence of the Tao Te Ching, yet I too find its philosophy to be useful. I thought this could be an interesting opportunity to expand my understanding a bit. SilverFlame In that case, I'll mention some of the things that suggested you understood the perspective to me. I'll repeat the first sentence of the "Tao Te Ching" so that anyone who hasn't read it can see its warning: "Dao called Dao is not Dao." One of the big concepts repeatedly alluded to is that you can't write down what the "Way" is, at best you can gesture in its direction. Some things I noticed in the post: * The process of the rhetorical aikido described immediately felt right to call Daoist, at least according to my intuition * The emphasis on avoiding open assertion of your own perspective aligns with the oft-repeated concept of "the sage does not contend" * Leading the other person into noticing a possible contradiction aligns with tactics the "Art of War" would suggest, where they might not even notice a plan is afoot * The idea that the technique is meant to be used with those who are legitimately curious also matches the principle of "do not contend" > "Welcome to Lsusr's rationality dojo," I replied, "Today is not your first day." This statement also caught my eye, albeit not for reasons of resembling the Daoist perspective. lsusr Yes. The techniques you point to are indeed Daoist. Not immediately stating your own beli

Programming an IFS for alternate uses

Looking for a post I read if anyone recognizes it

Parametrize Priority Evaluations

flowing like water; hard like stone

SilverFlame I noticed in your recent post that you described "rhetorical aikido", which you called a Daoist technique. I have studied the Tao Te Ching's text a fair bit over the past few years, and I find its philosophy to be quite useful as a "theme" or "virtue". I've not...

Feb 20, 2024•27

Option Space Nomenclature

I'm curious if there is any jargon/keywords in use here already relating to a topic that I'm researching other people's experiences with, as my own background leads me to use very personal nomenclature for such things. The concept in question is awareness and modification of the "set of all options...

Dec 8, 2023•1

Looking for a post I read if anyone recognizes it

There was a post that I read either on these forums or after following a link from a post here to some other site. It discussed techniques and discussed a pair of metrics for rating them: time to implement and value added (in my terms, maybe not theirs). It had...

May 10, 2023•2

Programming an IFS for alternate uses

I have been reading the sequence Multiagent Models of Mind by @Kaj_Sotala, and the Internal Family System concepts it discusses resemble something I have personally experimented with. The sequence and its sources seem to focus on the use of IFS as a therapy/psychoanalysis tool, and I do not disagree with...

Apr 29, 2023•5

Parametrize Priority Evaluations

I. Introduction Decisions are a part of life that are frequently targeted for optimization by normal people and rationalists alike. In particular, decision paralysis often causes processing delays that can cripple attempts to streamline your life. Systematically removing decision paralysis from your life is an excellent step on the path...

Apr 8, 2023•2