http://www.overcomingbias.com/2006/12/a_christmas_gif.html Overcoming Bias is economist Robin Hanson’s blog, on honesty, signaling, disagreement, forecasting, and the far future. Sun, 12 Feb 2012 01:09:57 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.3 http://www.overcomingbias.com/2006/12/a_christmas_gif.html#comment-423522 Carl Shulman Sat, 23 Dec 2006 19:49:26 +0000 http://prod.ob.trike.com.au/2006/12/a-christmas-gift-for-rationalists.html#comment-423522 The link was to the front page of GiveMeaning.com, the charity offering the service. I have edited the post to link separately to the gift card purchase page and the 'about' page, which has the information for charities to sign up. The link was to the front page of GiveMeaning.com, the charity offering the service. I have edited the post to link separately to the gift card purchase page and the ‘about’ page, which has the information for charities to sign up.

]]> http://www.overcomingbias.com/2006/12/a_christmas_gif.html#comment-423521 TGGP Sat, 23 Dec 2006 18:56:00 +0000 http://prod.ob.trike.com.au/2006/12/a-christmas-gift-for-rationalists.html#comment-423521 Carl, your link does not work. Carl, your link does not work.

]]> http://www.overcomingbias.com/2006/12/a_christmas_gif.html#comment-423520 Carl Shulman Sat, 23 Dec 2006 08:34:00 +0000 http://prod.ob.trike.com.au/2006/12/a-christmas-gift-for-rationalists.html#comment-423520 Humans show similarly conflicted behaviour in many areas: expressing desire to lose weight while regularly gorging, claiming to want to save more but procrastinating in taking advantage of free money for 401 (k) funds, etc. When a conflict arises between the rational portions of the brain, the part concerned in explicit, conscious motives, and our hidden genetic masters (I have read http://hanson.gmu.edu/matrix.html) I select the former. Since overcoming bias and the rationalist program are matters of the cortex, I feel no qualms in favoring the 'illusion' over the amygdala in the context of this blog. Humans show similarly conflicted behaviour in many areas: expressing desire to lose weight while regularly gorging, claiming to want to save more but procrastinating in taking advantage of free money for 401 (k) funds, etc. When a conflict arises between the rational portions of the brain, the part concerned in explicit, conscious motives, and our hidden genetic masters (I have read http://hanson.gmu.edu/matrix.html) I select the former. Since overcoming bias and the rationalist program are matters of the cortex, I feel no qualms in favoring the ‘illusion’ over the amygdala in the context of this blog.

]]> http://www.overcomingbias.com/2006/12/a_christmas_gif.html#comment-423519 Daniel Reeves Sat, 23 Dec 2006 04:12:38 +0000 http://prod.ob.trike.com.au/2006/12/a-christmas-gift-for-rationalists.html#comment-423519 No way, if we're more concerned with appearing helpful than helping, it by no means follows that we should help less. Helping conspicuously should be a win-win. If so, we would indeed support Carl's charity proposal. No way, if we’re more concerned with appearing helpful than helping, it by no means follows that we should help less. Helping conspicuously should be a win-win. If so, we would indeed support Carl’s charity proposal.

]]> http://www.overcomingbias.com/2006/12/a_christmas_gif.html#comment-423518 Robin Hanson Fri, 22 Dec 2006 23:44:15 +0000 http://prod.ob.trike.com.au/2006/12/a-christmas-gift-for-rationalists.html#comment-423518 Humans are in many ways hypocrites regarding charity; we say we want to help but really seem to care more about looking helpful. But even though some of us might support exposing the hypocrisy of saying one thing and doing another, we need not support the one thing. We might instead accept being selfish and wanting to look good. If so, we would not support your charity proposal. Humans are in many ways hypocrites regarding charity; we say we want to help but really seem to care more about looking helpful. But even though some of us might support exposing the hypocrisy of saying one thing and doing another, we need not support the one thing. We might instead accept being selfish and wanting to look good. If so, we would not support your charity proposal.

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