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paulg's profile
Paul Graham
Paul Graham
Paul Graham
Verified account
@paulg

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Paul GrahamVerified account

@paulg

paulgraham.com
Joined August 2010

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    1. Paul Graham‏Verified account @paulg Feb 21

      "It is, of course, much easier to complain about how things are bad rather than do anything about it, which is why people prefer to complain. 1/100th the satisfaction, but 1/1000000000000th the effort."https://chiefofstuff.substack.com/p/commenting-vs-making …

      33 replies 244 retweets 1,433 likes
      Show this thread
    2. Paul Graham‏Verified account @paulg Feb 21

      Another advantage of complaining over actually doing things is that complaining will never contradict your assumptions, whereas when you have to do things you often learn in the process that your initial assumptions were incorrect.

      29 replies 115 retweets 936 likes
      Show this thread
    3. Derek Thompson‏Verified account @DKThomp Feb 21
      Replying to @paulg

      I've been thinking about this subject a lot recently for an upcoming project. I feel like there may be an optimal level of critical feedback for a group, project, society. Social media's chaotic flood of omni-critique isn't ideal but neither is the other end of the spectrum.

      1 reply 0 retweets 18 likes
    4. Derek Thompson‏Verified account @DKThomp Feb 21
      Replying to @DKThomp @paulg

      Thinking about this personally, I think it's challenging to know how thick my skin should be. Too thin, and I have no conviction as a writer. Too thick, and I can't accept any smart criticism. Systems need optimally thick/thin skin, too.

      1 reply 1 retweet 23 likes
      Paul Graham‏Verified account @paulg Feb 21
      Replying to @DKThomp

      If you were doing math, you wouldn't face this question. If there's a mistake in a proof or calculation, then it's a mistake, and that's that. I don't see why writing has to be different. Maybe you can't quite reach the certainty of math, but you can strive to.

      10:46 AM - 21 Feb 2021
      • 1 Retweet
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      2 replies 1 retweet 18 likes
        1. New conversation
        2. Tim Urban‏Verified account @waitbutwhy Feb 21
          Replying to @paulg @DKThomp

          I think the move is to just be extremely upfront in your writing about your level of conviction. When you’re sure, write with conviction. When it’s more of a hypothesis just say that in the writing. When it’s more of a question, call it that. @slatestarcodex is a master at this.

          2 replies 3 retweets 77 likes
        3. Derek Thompson‏Verified account @DKThomp Feb 21
          Replying to @waitbutwhy @paulg @slatestarcodex

          I've been thinking about ways to do this more. I like SSC's confidence %s. I also think it's a nice experiment to ask "what if I'm exactly wrong?" and try to write the best argument from the opposite perspective. I tried to do that here, eg—>https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/08/just-small-shift-remote-work-could-change-everything/614980/ …

          0 replies 0 retweets 6 likes
        4. End of conversation
        1. Ben Levinstein‏ @ben_levinstein Feb 21
          Replying to @paulg @DKThomp

          I think it's not just the question of the finished product. If you're trying to develop an idea or theory, you want to be sensitive to potential pitfalls early on. But you don't want fill in all the gaps or answer all criticisms at the start or you'll never get anywhere.

          0 replies 0 retweets 0 likes
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