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Overcoming Bias Commenter's avatar

You observed in a previous post insights rarely signal high status since insight without execution signals lack of power or connections.

Mark Zuckerberg didn't invent the social network (GeoCities, Myspace, Friendster came before) but he sorted it.

Bill James of baseball statistics "sabermetrics" fame is a shower. He'd show a statistic like on base percentage and runs scored were important, but he left the heavy research and refinement to his subscribers and followers. His work was largely ignored until a general manager in Oakland used it, and that general manager is typically given equal credit for the evolution of baseball statistics.

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Marc Geddes's avatar

Excellent classification Robin! This actually matches my fundamental 3-fold ontological 'joint carving' of reality.

Identity Condition: Show (Defining the idea itself).Scalar Transform: Sort (Scalar rating signals attached to idea)Representation: Shill (Effective representation for communication)

'Shill' seems to be equivalent to 'far' mode, 'Sort' is the near mode. 'Show' should perhaps be labelled 'very near'?

Readers note that in logic, the same 3-fold ontological division appears to be present:

Identity Condition: Axioms (Defines subject) and deductions (implicate)Scalar transform: Probabilities and Bayes (mental 'force' of evidence) Representation: Categorization (deals with logical uncertainty).

I feel the LW/OB crowd has failed to grasp the significance of the third ontological joint, 'far' mode is not understood!... for example in logic, categorization is the solution to the problem of logical uncertainty!!

Distrust of 'far' mode may cause you to underrate the significance of 'Shill' - Shill has its place, effective representation for communication purposes is important, there's nothing wrong with propaganda .. Of what use is an idea if no one is moved by it? Surely, more Shill is precisely what you want to alleviate your concerns?

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