Comments on: Trust Us! http://www.overcomingbias.com/2008/10/trust-us.html Overcoming Bias is economist Robin Hanson’s blog, on honesty, signaling, disagreement, forecasting, and the far future. Sat, 20 Mar 2010 03:11:51 -0400 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.5 hourly 1 By: josh http://www.overcomingbias.com/2008/10/trust-us.html#comment-393762 josh Mon, 27 Oct 2008 22:56:51 +0000 http://prod.ob.trike.com.au/2008/10/trust-us.html#comment-393762 What Eliezer said. Also, how much more in taxes should a typical person expect to pay in their lifetime as a result of this? What Eliezer said. Also, how much more in taxes should a typical person expect to pay in their lifetime as a result of this?

]]> By: Eliezer Yudkowsky http://www.overcomingbias.com/2008/10/trust-us.html#comment-393761 Eliezer Yudkowsky Mon, 27 Oct 2008 19:00:04 +0000 http://prod.ob.trike.com.au/2008/10/trust-us.html#comment-393761 Scope insensitivity surely plays a role here. Reading one more zero on the end of a number doesn't have ten times the emotional impact. Scope insensitivity surely plays a role here. Reading one more zero on the end of a number doesn’t have ten times the emotional impact.

]]> By: Cyan http://www.overcomingbias.com/2008/10/trust-us.html#comment-393760 Cyan Mon, 27 Oct 2008 18:32:21 +0000 http://prod.ob.trike.com.au/2008/10/trust-us.html#comment-393760 Mr. Language Person, I was going to suggest the same change when the post went up, but then I checked dictionary.com and discovered that "exasperate" is listed (occasionally as "archaic usage") essentially as a synonym of "exacerbate". Mr. Language Person,

I was going to suggest the same change when the post went up, but then I checked dictionary.com and discovered that “exasperate” is listed (occasionally as “archaic usage”) essentially as a synonym of “exacerbate”.

]]> By: Robin Hanson http://www.overcomingbias.com/2008/10/trust-us.html#comment-393759 Robin Hanson Mon, 27 Oct 2008 18:14:57 +0000 http://prod.ob.trike.com.au/2008/10/trust-us.html#comment-393759 Mr. L, made the change you suggest. Josh, you all can lower my status for lots less than a trillion; heck I might go as low a billion. Mr. L, made the change you suggest.

Josh, you all can lower my status for lots less than a trillion; heck I might go as low a billion.

]]> By: Mr. Language Person http://www.overcomingbias.com/2008/10/trust-us.html#comment-393758 Mr. Language Person Mon, 27 Oct 2008 18:10:57 +0000 http://prod.ob.trike.com.au/2008/10/trust-us.html#comment-393758 I think you want the word "exacerbated", not "exasperated" in the fifth paragraph. Well, anyway, _I_ want that word there, because it is more correct. "Exasperated" means "made more angry or annoyed", while "exacerbated" means "made more severe or intense". They're similar in both sound and meaning, thus easily conflated. I think you want the word “exacerbated”, not “exasperated” in the fifth paragraph. Well, anyway, _I_ want that word there, because it is more correct.

“Exasperated” means “made more angry or annoyed”, while “exacerbated” means “made more severe or intense”. They’re similar in both sound and meaning, thus easily conflated.

]]> By: josh http://www.overcomingbias.com/2008/10/trust-us.html#comment-393757 josh Mon, 27 Oct 2008 13:14:18 +0000 http://prod.ob.trike.com.au/2008/10/trust-us.html#comment-393757 Certain groups were eager to accept the claims of the experts as it lowered the status of groups they don't like, ie republicans, wall street bankers, "fat cats", etc. Certain groups were eager to accept the claims because they get a whole lot of money. Certain groups were eager to accept the claims of the experts as it lowered the status of groups they don’t like, ie republicans, wall street bankers, “fat cats”, etc.

Certain groups were eager to accept the claims because they get a whole lot of money.

]]> By: Doug S. http://www.overcomingbias.com/2008/10/trust-us.html#comment-393756 Doug S. Sun, 26 Oct 2008 16:40:23 +0000 http://prod.ob.trike.com.au/2008/10/trust-us.html#comment-393756 Robin: A thought occurred to me about medical spending. There exists a classic economic model that would be consistent with medical spending being completely uncorrelated from health outcomes - that of a monopoly with the ability to implement price discrimination. (In other words, it's exactly what you'd expect if people paid widely varying amounts of money for the same average quality of treatment.) Robin: A thought occurred to me about medical spending. There exists a classic economic model that would be consistent with medical spending being completely uncorrelated from health outcomes – that of a monopoly with the ability to implement price discrimination. (In other words, it’s exactly what you’d expect if people paid widely varying amounts of money for the same average quality of treatment.)

]]> By: Doug S. http://www.overcomingbias.com/2008/10/trust-us.html#comment-393755 Doug S. Sun, 26 Oct 2008 16:34:34 +0000 http://prod.ob.trike.com.au/2008/10/trust-us.html#comment-393755 Krugman is a professor of economics at Princeton University and got the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics for work published in 1979, 1980, and 1991. He may be most famous for his op-ed column in The New York Times, but he is a serious academic economist. Krugman is a professor of economics at Princeton University and got the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics for work published in 1979, 1980, and 1991. He may be most famous for his op-ed column in The New York Times, but he is a serious academic economist.

]]> By: Robin Hanson http://www.overcomingbias.com/2008/10/trust-us.html#comment-393754 Robin Hanson Sun, 26 Oct 2008 13:29:49 +0000 http://prod.ob.trike.com.au/2008/10/trust-us.html#comment-393754 Andrew, I wasn't trying at all to dis global warming scientists. Peter, I'm talking about public perceptions, which may not distinguish finance from economics. nazgulnarsil, cute comic. bill, Krugman is far more than a journalist. Andrew, I wasn’t trying at all to dis global warming scientists.

Peter, I’m talking about public perceptions, which may not distinguish finance from economics.

nazgulnarsil, cute comic.

bill, Krugman is far more than a journalist.

]]> By: billswift http://www.overcomingbias.com/2008/10/trust-us.html#comment-393753 billswift Sun, 26 Oct 2008 13:17:43 +0000 http://prod.ob.trike.com.au/2008/10/trust-us.html#comment-393753 If Krugman, who is really nothing but a journalist, can win the Nobel Prize for economics, then is there really much to economics in the first place? If Krugman, who is really nothing but a journalist, can win the Nobel Prize for economics, then is there really much to economics in the first place?

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