Comments on: Movies As Detached Detail http://www.overcomingbias.com/2009/11/movies-as-detached-detail.html Overcoming Bias is economist Robin Hanson’s blog, on honesty, signaling, disagreement, forecasting, and the far future. Sun, 12 Feb 2012 03:06:37 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.3 By: michael vassar http://www.overcomingbias.com/2009/11/movies-as-detached-detail.html#comment-436289 michael vassar Sat, 21 Nov 2009 13:29:40 +0000 http://www.overcomingbias.com/?p=20434#comment-436289 I agree, think anti-moral movies like Pulp Fiction and really anything by Tarentino, Sin City, and Wild Things are fairly good examples but don't have the time to give detail. Would be nice to involve Gary Drescher in this discussion. I agree, think anti-moral movies like Pulp Fiction and really anything by Tarentino, Sin City, and Wild Things are fairly good examples but don’t have the time to give detail. Would be nice to involve Gary Drescher in this discussion.

]]> By: mjgeddes http://www.overcomingbias.com/2009/11/movies-as-detached-detail.html#comment-436277 mjgeddes Sat, 21 Nov 2009 04:28:01 +0000 http://www.overcomingbias.com/?p=20434#comment-436277 But any narrative relies on near-mode details (there is no such thing as an abstrast far-mode narrative floating freely, because any narrative must be composed of details). Similarly, details are embedded in the narrative, and are only recognizable because of the narrative. Unless near-mode and far-mode claims can be fully detached from each other, Bayesian inference is in very serious trouble ;) But any narrative relies on near-mode details (there is no such thing as an abstrast far-mode narrative floating freely, because any narrative must be composed of details). Similarly, details are embedded in the narrative, and are only recognizable because of the narrative. Unless near-mode and far-mode claims can be fully detached from each other, Bayesian inference is in very serious trouble ;)

]]> By: Robin Hanson http://www.overcomingbias.com/2009/11/movies-as-detached-detail.html#comment-436269 Robin Hanson Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:35:56 +0000 http://www.overcomingbias.com/?p=20434#comment-436269 I'd love to hear some concrete examples of this sort of thing. I’d love to hear some concrete examples of this sort of thing.

]]> By: Eliezer Yudkowsky http://www.overcomingbias.com/2009/11/movies-as-detached-detail.html#comment-436266 Eliezer Yudkowsky Fri, 20 Nov 2009 23:17:59 +0000 http://www.overcomingbias.com/?p=20434#comment-436266 The exact study of what you can get away with in fiction is highly interesting. As you know I've done some <a href="http://yudkowsky.net/other/fiction/the-sword-of-good" rel="nofollow">practical investigations</a> lately, and TV Tropes of course has done more. I'm not quite sure it's all down to Near/Far - or at least, saying "Near" for everything processed and "Far" for everything ignored is begging the question. You can show a character murdering or torturing, describing it in immediate narrative, and how the average reader reacts seems readily controllable by how the author presents other character's reactions. It seems to me that the main lesson a cynic would draw is that what we may think is our "moral" sense is mostly a fitting-into-groups sense, and it takes its cues from group reactions. The exact study of what you can get away with in fiction is highly interesting. As you know I’ve done some practical investigations lately, and TV Tropes of course has done more. I’m not quite sure it’s all down to Near/Far – or at least, saying “Near” for everything processed and “Far” for everything ignored is begging the question. You can show a character murdering or torturing, describing it in immediate narrative, and how the average reader reacts seems readily controllable by how the author presents other character’s reactions.

It seems to me that the main lesson a cynic would draw is that what we may think is our “moral” sense is mostly a fitting-into-groups sense, and it takes its cues from group reactions.

]]> By: richard silliker http://www.overcomingbias.com/2009/11/movies-as-detached-detail.html#comment-436241 richard silliker Fri, 20 Nov 2009 18:18:12 +0000 http://www.overcomingbias.com/?p=20434#comment-436241 Does this mean that the films Contact, Independence Day and Signs are not documentaries? My gad, I can't believe I was so stupid. After all was it not Senator Dole, when asked about the film Independence Day, said "we won didn't we." Does this mean that the films Contact, Independence Day and Signs are not documentaries? My gad, I can’t believe I was so stupid. After all was it not Senator Dole, when asked about the film Independence Day, said “we won didn’t we.”

]]> By: Ryan http://www.overcomingbias.com/2009/11/movies-as-detached-detail.html#comment-436240 Ryan Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:53:39 +0000 http://www.overcomingbias.com/?p=20434#comment-436240 So - would you recommed an Education? Did you like it? So – would you recommed an Education? Did you like it?

]]> By: Robert Koslover http://www.overcomingbias.com/2009/11/movies-as-detached-detail.html#comment-436232 Robert Koslover Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:09:38 +0000 http://www.overcomingbias.com/?p=20434#comment-436232 Wow. So that's how a social scientist does a movie review. :) Wow. So that’s how a social scientist does a movie review. :)

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