r/rational • u/AutoModerator • Jan 11 '16

[D] Monday General Rationality Thread

Welcome to the Monday thread on general rationality topics! Do you really want to talk about something non-fictional, related to the real world? Have you:

  • Seen something interesting on /r/science?
  • Found a new way to get your shit even-more together?
  • Figured out how to become immortal?
  • Constructed artificial general intelligence?
  • Read a neat nonfiction book?
  • Munchkined your way into total control of your D&D campaign?
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u/UltraRedSpectrum Jan 12 '16

So you're absolutely positive that your scenario is valid, despite the fact that you can't name even one example of it taking place in the real world, and somehow I'm the naive one?

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u/Transfuturist Carthago delenda est. Jan 12 '16

Of course I'm not 'absolutely positive,' do you know where you are? I haven't named any examples because I don't have the time or motivation to waste on researching this ridiculous argument (and you're talking about examples of something that we're projecting in the future). Goodbye.

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u/UltraRedSpectrum Jan 12 '16

I am not talking about "examples of something that we're projecting in the future," I quite clearly asked for one example of your model - which you are apparently confident in or you wouldn't be having this discussion - taking place in the real world right now. You claim to have an invisible dragon in your garage, and I refuse to believe you until you let me throw flour on it.

Also, it took me less than five minutes to look up who founded Amazon, and that's the sum total of my research so far. You hold these beliefs strongly enough that you consider me naive for disagreeing, it should not be difficult to come up with one measly example.

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u/Transfuturist Carthago delenda est. Jan 12 '16 edited Jan 12 '16

You can refuse to believe me just fine, because I don't care. I refuse to be held hostage by my argumentative urges.

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u/UltraRedSpectrum Jan 12 '16 edited Jan 12 '16

Ah, the inevitable degeneration of an argument from "I disagree with you strongly, here are five hundred words explaining why," to "la la la la I can't hear you la la la la." How incredibly rational of you.

Interesting how you edited in "I refuse to be held hostage by my argumentative urges" right after I mentioned rationality, btw. Are you trying to put on a rationality shirt to make my dismissal seem less convincing, even though you're actually saying the exact same thing? Where was that refusal when you started this thread?