Discussion about this post

User's avatar
Overcoming Bias Commenter's avatar

@Robin

"does anyone want to signal they are frivolous?"

Yes. All the time. Those who are incontestably high in any social order will put great effort into frivolity as a form of counter-signaling.

Drunken frat-boy jocks, Old Etonians & Harrovians, starlets, the most successful sales guy who also gets the loudest at the corporate party, the real aristocracy, you name it. Comedy is a separate category that's a classical institution requiring its own analysis.

"As I too often fall on the wrong side of serious-silly norms"

Ponder instead that one is perhaps merely resting at the first of Schopenhauer's 3 stages of truth. I sometimes now wonder if all those comic-book/anime/Star Trek loving nerds might also perhaps be counter-signaling against their massively obvious and otherwise intimidating overclock.

Expand full comment
Robin Hanson's avatar

frelkins, does anyone want to signal they are frivolous? And why would not having fun credibly signal that you understand more?

Expand full comment
21 more comments...