<html><head><style type="text/css"><!-- DIV {margin:0px;} --></style></head><body><div style="font-family:arial, helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:12pt"><DIV>I don't disagree about the "silent audience" in any discussion, though I wonder if some of them aren't just immediately turned off by a continuous stream of emotional arguments anyhow.</DIV>
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<DIV>Regarding facts, the problem here would be interpretation in many cases. Also, merely citing journal articles doesn't settle things in many cases. Think about those economists and market analysts pointing out that the housing bubble was going to burst and those who argued against them. The latter could've easily created chatbots citing all the relevant articles in peer-reviewed journals right up until the market unraveled in 2008. In a sense, it's all going to depend on what the silent audience takes for fact and reliable reasoning in the first place. (Of course, this is not an attack on chatbots per se, but merely to point out that the wider social context is important.)</DIV>
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<DIV>Regarding a Creationist setting these up, well, aren't there already cheat sheets that Creationists use? Isn't there a book out called _How to Debate an Atheist_? Yes, this can be used for good or ill, and, like you, I'm more the optimist here. But the likely long-term outcome is probably not going to be the Dark Side is thwarted by chatbots, but that Dark Side chatbots make the more intelligent people less likely to take chat seriously. (In my opinion, that might actually be a big win. There are almost always more important things to do. :)</DIV>
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<DIV>Regards,</DIV>
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<DIV>Dan</DIV>
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<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: times new roman, new york, times, serif"><FONT face=Tahoma size=2><B><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">From:</SPAN></B> Adrian Tymes <atymes@gmail.com><BR><B><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">To:</SPAN></B> ExI chat list <extropy-chat@lists.extropy.org><BR><B><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Sent:</SPAN></B> Wed, November 3, 2010 2:17:20 PM<BR><B><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Subject:</SPAN></B> Re: [ExI] The answer to tireless stupidity<BR></FONT><BR>Very true. However:<BR><BR>1) Might it be the case that those whose arguments are not based on facts have<BR>more buttons to push? If they can not be secure in letting the other side have the<BR>last word, because they know everyone else can tell which side is the buffoon...<BR><BR>2) The point of the debate is more often to convince the silent audience. If one<BR>side keeps making emotional arguments, and the other side keeps rebutting
by<BR>linking to facts supported by outside sources, more people who witness the<BR>debate will come away leaning toward the latter.<BR><BR>3) This is an interesting development as a political tool. Like any technology, it<BR>can be used for good or evil. However, like many new technologies, those who we<BR>view as "good" tend to be in a better position to use these tools, and thus will<BR>probably make more effective use of them (at least in the next decade or two).<BR>(In other words: try imagining an Extropian setting one of these up, then try to<BR>imagine a creationist setting one of these up. It's easier to imagine the former<BR>case, no?)<BR><BR>
<DIV class=gmail_quote>On Wed, Nov 3, 2010 at 10:43 AM, Dan <SPAN dir=ltr><<A href="mailto:dan_ust@yahoo.com" target=_blank rel=nofollow ymailto="mailto:dan_ust@yahoo.com">dan_ust@yahoo.com</A>></SPAN> wrote:<BR>
<BLOCKQUOTE class=gmail_quote style="PADDING-LEFT: 1ex; MARGIN: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; BORDER-LEFT: rgb(204,204,204) 1px solid">This is not necessarily a cure for anti-science nonsense or even nonsense. It<BR>could be used against anyone holding any view: simply wear them down. E.g.,<BR>someone here argues for Extropians or transhumanist views and someone else sets<BR>up a chatbot merely to keep pushing their buttons.<BR><BR></BLOCKQUOTE></DIV>
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