Comments on: A Theory Of Identity http://www.overcomingbias.com/2009/08/a-theory-of-identity.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 By: 090807 Culture Links | HR Examiner with John Sumser http://www.overcomingbias.com/2009/08/a-theory-of-identity.html#comment-487895 090807 Culture Links | HR Examiner with John Sumser Fri, 29 Jul 2011 02:45:00 +0000 http://www.overcomingbias.com/?p=19298#comment-487895 [...] A Theory of Identity This is a central question in the establish ment of online communities that stick. “A person’s “identity” is something less than all his or her details but more than a few simple stats. What is it exactly, why do people need to discover it, want to stay true to it, why could only their “heart” tell them what it is, and why would a 35 year old still be searching for it, even after they’ve  taken every personality test ever devised? Why do ads mostly tell us what identities we could project via their product, and how could a new job or lover help us find our identity? I’ve [...] [...] A Theory of Identity This is a central question in the establish ment of online communities that stick. “A person’s “identity” is something less than all his or her details but more than a few simple stats. What is it exactly, why do people need to discover it, want to stay true to it, why could only their “heart” tell them what it is, and why would a 35 year old still be searching for it, even after they’ve  taken every personality test ever devised? Why do ads mostly tell us what identities we could project via their product, and how could a new job or lover help us find our identity? I’ve [...]

]]> By: anotherpanacea :: Signalling Theory and Status Moves http://www.overcomingbias.com/2009/08/a-theory-of-identity.html#comment-432521 anotherpanacea :: Signalling Theory and Status Moves Wed, 09 Sep 2009 14:41:55 +0000 http://www.overcomingbias.com/?p=19298#comment-432521 [...] moves in particular that are worth reading in their entirety: start with Actors See Status, move to A Theory of Identity, and then finish with his recent post on Seeing Red. I’ll try to reconstruct the argument in [...] [...] moves in particular that are worth reading in their entirety: start with Actors See Status, move to A Theory of Identity, and then finish with his recent post on Seeing Red. I’ll try to reconstruct the argument in [...]

]]> By: Overcoming Bias : Seeing Red http://www.overcomingbias.com/2009/08/a-theory-of-identity.html#comment-432375 Overcoming Bias : Seeing Red Sun, 06 Sep 2009 02:39:58 +0000 http://www.overcomingbias.com/?p=19298#comment-432375 [...] identify ourselves as making decisions based on simple criteria, which red effects complicates. [...] [...] identify ourselves as making decisions based on simple criteria, which red effects complicates. [...]

]]> By: Richard Hollerith http://www.overcomingbias.com/2009/08/a-theory-of-identity.html#comment-431663 Richard Hollerith Tue, 18 Aug 2009 22:21:55 +0000 http://www.overcomingbias.com/?p=19298#comment-431663 This post was very helpful to me. Thanks, Robin! This post was very helpful to me. Thanks, Robin!

]]> By: Friday Link Love 8/14 | Brad’s Reader http://www.overcomingbias.com/2009/08/a-theory-of-identity.html#comment-431511 Friday Link Love 8/14 | Brad’s Reader Fri, 14 Aug 2009 15:03:09 +0000 http://www.overcomingbias.com/?p=19298#comment-431511 [...] A theory of identity [...] [...] A theory of identity [...]

]]> By: dhill http://www.overcomingbias.com/2009/08/a-theory-of-identity.html#comment-431489 dhill Fri, 14 Aug 2009 00:53:06 +0000 http://www.overcomingbias.com/?p=19298#comment-431489 I find people interesting, when they are unpredictable. Sure there is some common interest involved, that forms a relationship, but it is important to me to be surprised each time I talk to a friend. Why have friends otherwise? Making explanatory stories about anyone (including yourself) is a highway to hell attachment. There is a whole "Zen Buddhism" about going in the opposite direction. To quote some more pop: "Self-improvement is masturbation, self-destruction is the answer." I find people interesting, when they are unpredictable. Sure there is some common interest involved, that forms a relationship, but it is important to me to be surprised each time I talk to a friend. Why have friends otherwise?

Making explanatory stories about anyone (including yourself) is a highway to hell attachment. There is a whole “Zen Buddhism” about going in the opposite direction. To quote some more pop: “Self-improvement is masturbation, self-destruction is the answer.”

]]> By: Teoria regasirii :-) « stii ce vrei ? http://www.overcomingbias.com/2009/08/a-theory-of-identity.html#comment-431474 Teoria regasirii :-) « stii ce vrei ? Thu, 13 Aug 2009 20:15:21 +0000 http://www.overcomingbias.com/?p=19298#comment-431474 [...] Teoria regasirii :-) Regasirea … Efectul intelepciunii, iubirii, drogurilor si a bauturii asupra viziunii de sine a omului. De ce au majoritatea nevoia sa isi defineasca/redefineasca identitatea din cand in cand. Ce obtin si ce cred ca vor obtine ? Un fel de explicatie (in limba lui fratii lui Shakespeare): Theory of Identity. [...] [...] Teoria regasirii :-) Regasirea … Efectul intelepciunii, iubirii, drogurilor si a bauturii asupra viziunii de sine a omului. De ce au majoritatea nevoia sa isi defineasca/redefineasca identitatea din cand in cand. Ce obtin si ce cred ca vor obtine ? Un fel de explicatie (in limba lui fratii lui Shakespeare): Theory of Identity. [...]

]]> By: jonathan http://www.overcomingbias.com/2009/08/a-theory-of-identity.html#comment-431316 jonathan Mon, 10 Aug 2009 14:17:37 +0000 http://www.overcomingbias.com/?p=19298#comment-431316 I was blown away by this post. Not because it was provocative but for the hubris. "A Theory of Identity" implies something unified, that draws fully on research and which answers existing questions in a coherent manner. You make a small comment about identity, one that barely touches on the vast body of knowledge about the subject. "Theory" is hardly the right word. Hubris. I was blown away by this post. Not because it was provocative but for the hubris. “A Theory of Identity” implies something unified, that draws fully on research and which answers existing questions in a coherent manner. You make a small comment about identity, one that barely touches on the vast body of knowledge about the subject. “Theory” is hardly the right word. Hubris.

]]> By: mjgeddes http://www.overcomingbias.com/2009/08/a-theory-of-identity.html#comment-431237 mjgeddes Sat, 08 Aug 2009 05:46:32 +0000 http://www.overcomingbias.com/?p=19298#comment-431237 I’m very impressed with Robin’s theory of identity (good to see it being developed further!) and I too have come to similar conclusions, that consciousness is the ‘narrative center of gravity’. I am known am an ‘eccentric’, and true to form, I have come up a theory so astounding you could put a strait-jacket on it and call it insane ;) In fact my theory is so astounding that I dare not post it anywhere, least I face instant moderation and risk being labeled crazy forever. But I will say this. There’s anthropic considerations at work; I think there’s just a bit too much which is too convenient about everything that’s happened in transhumanism. And then we see three geniuses (Hanson, Yudkowsky, Bostrom) each with three different identities or ‘characterizations’ R.Hanson is obsessed ‘who we really are’ (our current human identity) – Symbolic Logic E.Yudkowsky is obsessed with ‘the means to go where we are going’ (our decision making powers) – Bayesian Induction N.Bostrom is obsessed with ‘the map of where we are going’ (the narrative of our purpose) – Analogy Formation 3 levels, 3 geniuses. Strange? You bet! Then there is this bizarre piece of trivia: Research shows that references to the number ‘27’ are inexplicably popping up in narrative fiction and films far beyond the chance level, relative to other numbers (perhaps this is most vividly demonstrated by the big police car in the sci-fi classic ‘Blade Runner’ with the big ‘27’ on the front). Why? Something is seriously frigging weird with the universe man! I shall say no more. Except that my time on internet message boards taught me my real identity - not that of a scientist, but of a science fiction writer ;) I’m very impressed with Robin’s theory of identity (good to see it being developed further!) and I too have come to similar conclusions, that consciousness is the ‘narrative center of gravity’.

I am known am an ‘eccentric’, and true to form, I have come up a theory so astounding you could put a strait-jacket on it and call it insane ;) In fact my theory is so astounding that I dare not post it anywhere, least I face instant moderation and risk being labeled crazy forever.

But I will say this. There’s anthropic considerations at work; I think there’s just a bit too much which is too convenient about everything that’s happened in transhumanism. And then we see three geniuses (Hanson, Yudkowsky, Bostrom) each with three different identities or ‘characterizations’

R.Hanson is obsessed ‘who we really are’ (our current human identity) – Symbolic Logic

E.Yudkowsky is obsessed with ‘the means to go where we are going’ (our decision making powers) – Bayesian Induction

N.Bostrom is obsessed with ‘the map of where we are going’ (the narrative of our purpose) – Analogy Formation

3 levels, 3 geniuses. Strange? You bet!

Then there is this bizarre piece of trivia: Research shows that references to the number ‘27’ are inexplicably popping up in narrative fiction and films far beyond the chance level, relative to other numbers (perhaps this is most vividly demonstrated by the big police car in the sci-fi classic ‘Blade Runner’ with the big ‘27’ on the front). Why?

Something is seriously frigging weird with the universe man! I shall say no more. Except that my time on internet message boards taught me my real identity – not that of a scientist, but of a science fiction writer ;)

]]> By: 090807 Culture Links | johnsumser.com http://www.overcomingbias.com/2009/08/a-theory-of-identity.html#comment-431217 090807 Culture Links | johnsumser.com Fri, 07 Aug 2009 20:17:46 +0000 http://www.overcomingbias.com/?p=19298#comment-431217 [...] A Theory of Identity This is a central question in the establish ment of online communities that stick. “A person’s “identity” is something less than all his or her details but more than a few simple stats. What is it exactly, why do people need to discover it, want to stay true to it, why could only their “heart” tell them what it is, and why would a 35 year old still be searching for it, even after they’ve taken every personality test ever devised? Why do ads mostly tell us what identities we could project via their product, and how could a new job or lover help us find our identity? I’ve [...] [...] A Theory of Identity This is a central question in the establish ment of online communities that stick. “A person’s “identity” is something less than all his or her details but more than a few simple stats. What is it exactly, why do people need to discover it, want to stay true to it, why could only their “heart” tell them what it is, and why would a 35 year old still be searching for it, even after they’ve taken every personality test ever devised? Why do ads mostly tell us what identities we could project via their product, and how could a new job or lover help us find our identity? I’ve [...]

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