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Notes | Tutorial 22

Date: 2020-08-03

analysing max’s “debate”

  • too many things at once
  • not well explained
  • gish gallop - win by overwhelming
    • need to get standard rationality techniques on autopilot
  • future debates:
    • make a few points well
      • object points, not meta
      • keep it simple, not overly complex
      • explain enough for ppl to learn (opposition or audience)
      • explain enough that someone could give critical feedback
      • keep claims to stuff i’m confident about or explicitly hedge
    • keep it short
      • organization structure simpler
      • take time and make tree during discussion
        • or tree after for analysis

tree of debate and comment on debate

max debate tree (covid pandemic image; june 2020)
    image: low deaths per population (0.005%) means there is no pandemic
        max: is this satire?
            [implied 'no' from alice]
            max: 'satire is the most charitable interp'
                implication: if you don't think it's satire then you have low standards for ideas
                    max going on the offensive
                    aside: posting low qual stuff erodes good points
                        alternative thing max could say: i disagree, do you want to debate/discuss?
        alice: reasonable metric?
            max: unclear response "like the data points aren't irrelevant or wrong"
        Alice: i think 0.005% is a good point, why don't you like it?
            max: because it has problems
                [what problems do you think it has?] -- note Alice just said they thought it was good
                max: avoiding giving answer ahead of time
                    max could have been more direct by saying "do you want to make any disclaimers"
        alice: pandemic means prevalence
            the metric (0.005%) means it's not prevalent
                max [non sequitur] evading the thing, being unclear, etc
                    alice replies to get back on track
                        alice: this is what I thought the convo was
                            alice: is the metric is satire or low standard? [sic]
                                max: metric wouldn't have qualified as satire without image
                                    max: trying to back alice into corner and set her up, max lacks skill
                                        plus don't need to do that
                                        alice: i think it has zero problems
                            alice: mild infection, supporting details
        alice: i don't think it has problems
            max: here's my list
                list lacks explanation
                alice: you're being pedantic, the point still stands
    max's list
        conclusion doesn't follow (not explained)
        too many sig figs
        no citations
        number of deaths unrelated to pandemic status
            alice: for a mild infection only mortality counts b/c other symptoms can be ignored
        ignores proactive measures

for next session

  • grammar stuff
  • text analysis
    • chapters of possible minds
    • TCS material

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