5 ms·

I mean, I'd call those deepities rather than profundities. The first one will need considerable refinement if we successfully create an immortal life form, for

I mean, I'd call those deepities rather than profundities. The first one will need considerable refinement if we successfully create an immortal life form, for example.

jack_pp 5y ago
You may enjoy thiss conversation from HPMOR (http://www.hpmor.com/chapter/39 http://www.hpmor.com/chapter/39): Well, sounding wise wasn't difficult. It was a lot easier than being intelligent, actually, since you didn't have to say anything surprising or come up with any new insights. You just let your brain's pattern-matching software complete the cliche, using whatever Deep Wisdom you'd stored previously. "Headmaster," Harry said solemnly, "I would rather not define myself by my enemies." Somehow, even in the midst of all the whirring and ticking, there was a kind of silence. That had come out a bit more Deeply Wise than Harry had intended. . . . Now, how to phrase the rejoinder in such fashion that it also sounded incredibly wise... "You are not Ravenclaw," Harry said with calm dignity, "and so it might not have occurred to you that to respect the truth, and seek it all the days of your life, could also be an act of grace." The Headmaster's eyebrows rose up. And then he sighed. "How did you become so wise, so young...?" The old wizard sounded sad, as he said it. "Perhaps it will prove valuable to you." Only for impressing ancient wizards who are overly impressed with themselves, thought Harry. He was actually a bit disappointed by Dumbledore's credulity; it wasn't that Harry had lied, but Dumbledore seemed far too impressed with Harry's ability to phrase things so that they sounded profound, instead of putting them into plain English like Richard Feynman had done with his wisdom...
- _dain_ 5y ago
  hpmor is itself a million words of fake profundities for nerds
  - jack_pp 5y ago
    it is the wisest work of fiction I have ever read, if you think you found a better one please share it
    - _dain_ 5y ago
      if it's honestly the "wisest work of fiction" you've ever read, you're ngmi. it isn't a well-written or well-constructed work, the ideas it presents don't stand up to scrutiny. https://danluu.com/su3su2u1/hpmor/ https://danluu.com/su3su2u1/hpmor/ it sounds like you have an impoverished information diet. you need to read more. just anything, I don't have any specific recommendations. if you like "rationalist fiction", read worm maybe? it'll scratch the same itch without having an insufferable ubermensch author insert protagonist.
      - jack_pp 5y ago
        I did read worm, didn't even come close. If you think HPMOR satiates as you say "an impoverished information diet" then it is by your own definition, very good because it must have a lot of useful information right? I've been exposed to nearly everything it tried to teach before I read it so I don't think I learned all that much from it but his writing style is unparalleled imo. It weaves humor, drama, references to stuff I love in a way nothing else has come close since. There's a reason every popular TV show and movie has references to stuff, because people love it. What is curious to me is the hate, you could simply say you didn't enjoy it but you are attacking random people on the internet, implying they're dumb because something wasn't to your taste..?
        _dain_ 5y ago
        >If you think HPMOR satiates as you say "an impoverished information diet" then it is by your own definition, very good because it must have a lot of useful information right? ... no, I meant that you can't possibly have read much actual quality literature if hpmor is the best you've read. it's like a kid saying chicken tendies are the best food ever. that exchange you posted is just cringeworthy. dumbledore is lazily written as a complete fool in every scene just so that the self-insert protagonist can easily trounce him (and sometimes with flawed logic, which he is never called out on). this happens with every opponent, aside from quirrel, who is also a creepy weird author self-insert. and then it mangles a lot of the actual science it purports to teach.
  - Smaug123 5y ago
    It may be a million words of fake profundities for nerds, but it came to me at the right time to nudge me towards the PC end of the NPC/PC spectrum at university. I'm sure I'm a better person for having read it, and my friends agree that the PC-ish ways I acted at university (in large part inspired by HPMoR) were good. If you have suggestions for better books that make you grok again that you can and should be a PC in your life, do please recommend them - I need constant reminding or I get out of practice!
    - segh 5y ago
      What do you mean by "PC"? I'm guessing Player character, as in someone who makes deliberate decisions.
      - Smaug123 5y ago
        Yes, player character. One with agency over their own life and decisions.
        segh 5y ago
        In that case (because you asked for recommendations) you might enjoy this post by Tim Urban that I found inspiring, that is about a similar idea. https://waitbutwhy.com/2015/11/the-cook-and-the-chef-musks-secret-sauce.html https://waitbutwhy.com/2015/11/the-cook-and-the-chef-musks-s...
    - gonehome 5y ago
      I think it's pretty good, there's just a class of people that like to sneeringly look down on it. Cynicism (maybe snobbiness?) masquerading as intelligence. I've found the ideas in it (and the larger lesswrong community) to be pretty good, and the nature of it is that if someone actually carries specific disagreement with any of it they can persuade others. The general dismissals like the comment you replied to can usually be ignored (imo).
  - FeepingCreature 5y ago
    Eh, I don't think that's really true.
- gonehome 5y ago
  The origins outside of HPMOR: https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/aSQy7yHj6nPD44RNo/how-to-seem-and-be-deep https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/aSQy7yHj6nPD44RNo/how-to-see...
tw04 5y ago
I'd imagine any truly immortal lifeform would eventually go insane unless it almost completely lacks intelligence. At which point, why bother? Unless we're talking about a machine and not a lifeform?

I mean, I'd call those deepities rather than profundities. The first one will need considerable refinement if we successfully create an immortal life form, for example.

jack_pp 5y ago

You may enjoy thiss conversation from HPMOR (http://www.hpmor.com/chapter/39 http://www.hpmor.com/chapter/39): Well, sounding wise wasn't difficult. It was a lot easier than being intelligent, actually, since you didn't have to say anything surprising or come up with any new insights. You just let your brain's pattern-matching software complete the cliche, using whatever Deep Wisdom you'd stored previously. "Headmaster," Harry said solemnly, "I would rather not define myself by my enemies." Somehow, even in the midst of all the whirring and ticking, there was a kind of silence. That had come out a bit more Deeply Wise than Harry had intended. . . . Now, how to phrase the rejoinder in such fashion that it also sounded incredibly wise... "You are not Ravenclaw," Harry said with calm dignity, "and so it might not have occurred to you that to respect the truth, and seek it all the days of your life, could also be an act of grace." The Headmaster's eyebrows rose up. And then he sighed. "How did you become so wise, so young...?" The old wizard sounded sad, as he said it. "Perhaps it will prove valuable to you." Only for impressing ancient wizards who are overly impressed with themselves, thought Harry. He was actually a bit disappointed by Dumbledore's credulity; it wasn't that Harry had lied, but Dumbledore seemed far too impressed with Harry's ability to phrase things so that they sounded profound, instead of putting them into plain English like Richard Feynman had done with his wisdom...

_dain_ 5y ago
hpmor is itself a million words of fake profundities for nerds
- jack_pp 5y ago
  it is the wisest work of fiction I have ever read, if you think you found a better one please share it
  - _dain_ 5y ago
    if it's honestly the "wisest work of fiction" you've ever read, you're ngmi. it isn't a well-written or well-constructed work, the ideas it presents don't stand up to scrutiny. https://danluu.com/su3su2u1/hpmor/ https://danluu.com/su3su2u1/hpmor/ it sounds like you have an impoverished information diet. you need to read more. just anything, I don't have any specific recommendations. if you like "rationalist fiction", read worm maybe? it'll scratch the same itch without having an insufferable ubermensch author insert protagonist.
    - jack_pp 5y ago
      I did read worm, didn't even come close. If you think HPMOR satiates as you say "an impoverished information diet" then it is by your own definition, very good because it must have a lot of useful information right? I've been exposed to nearly everything it tried to teach before I read it so I don't think I learned all that much from it but his writing style is unparalleled imo. It weaves humor, drama, references to stuff I love in a way nothing else has come close since. There's a reason every popular TV show and movie has references to stuff, because people love it. What is curious to me is the hate, you could simply say you didn't enjoy it but you are attacking random people on the internet, implying they're dumb because something wasn't to your taste..?
      - _dain_ 5y ago
        >If you think HPMOR satiates as you say "an impoverished information diet" then it is by your own definition, very good because it must have a lot of useful information right? ... no, I meant that you can't possibly have read much actual quality literature if hpmor is the best you've read. it's like a kid saying chicken tendies are the best food ever. that exchange you posted is just cringeworthy. dumbledore is lazily written as a complete fool in every scene just so that the self-insert protagonist can easily trounce him (and sometimes with flawed logic, which he is never called out on). this happens with every opponent, aside from quirrel, who is also a creepy weird author self-insert. and then it mangles a lot of the actual science it purports to teach.
- Smaug123 5y ago
  It may be a million words of fake profundities for nerds, but it came to me at the right time to nudge me towards the PC end of the NPC/PC spectrum at university. I'm sure I'm a better person for having read it, and my friends agree that the PC-ish ways I acted at university (in large part inspired by HPMoR) were good. If you have suggestions for better books that make you grok again that you can and should be a PC in your life, do please recommend them - I need constant reminding or I get out of practice!
  - segh 5y ago
    What do you mean by "PC"? I'm guessing Player character, as in someone who makes deliberate decisions.
    - Smaug123 5y ago
      Yes, player character. One with agency over their own life and decisions.
      - segh 5y ago
        In that case (because you asked for recommendations) you might enjoy this post by Tim Urban that I found inspiring, that is about a similar idea. https://waitbutwhy.com/2015/11/the-cook-and-the-chef-musks-secret-sauce.html https://waitbutwhy.com/2015/11/the-cook-and-the-chef-musks-s...
  - gonehome 5y ago
    I think it's pretty good, there's just a class of people that like to sneeringly look down on it. Cynicism (maybe snobbiness?) masquerading as intelligence. I've found the ideas in it (and the larger lesswrong community) to be pretty good, and the nature of it is that if someone actually carries specific disagreement with any of it they can persuade others. The general dismissals like the comment you replied to can usually be ignored (imo).
- FeepingCreature 5y ago
  Eh, I don't think that's really true.
gonehome 5y ago
The origins outside of HPMOR: https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/aSQy7yHj6nPD44RNo/how-to-seem-and-be-deep https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/aSQy7yHj6nPD44RNo/how-to-see...

tw04 5y ago

I'd imagine any truly immortal lifeform would eventually go insane unless it almost completely lacks intelligence. At which point, why bother? Unless we're talking about a machine and not a lifeform?