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There aren't enough professionals. Also, fear of civil suits from the potentially suicidal is rarely a particularly noble reason to refuse to talk to them.
by moocowduckquack 13y ago
There aren't enough professionals. Also, fear of civil suits from the potentially suicidal is rarely a particularly noble reason to refuse to talk to them.
- Crito 13y agoNobility or honor has little to do with it. I am not convinced the fear of a lawsuit is grounded, but either way that is a pragmatic concern, not some argument about what is honorable. I would caution people against it if only because it will very often be a waste of time and quite possibly a source of unnecessary stress.
- moocowduckquack 13y agoIs just showing some basic empathy. Pragmatism doesn't need to get in the way of being nice to people.
- Crito 13y ago> Pragmatism doesn't need to get in the way of being nice to people. You're right, it doesn't. 'gwern could politely break off the conversation when it becomes apparent that the person has some issues to work out, or he could simply stop responding. You don't have to break off the conversation rudely. This said, he hardly owes anybody trying to blackmail him a polite response. If somebody is trying to blackmail you and you are pretty sure they are way off-base, it is probably best to make a general policy of /dev/null-ing their messages.
- moocowduckquack 13y agoWasn't meaning this specific case so much as Eliezer's rather blanket advice to not deal with the mentally ill, just in case they top themselves and someone then sues you, which seemed more than a little bit harsh.