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Notes -
I will agree that it is a problem if one reflexively disagrees with a contrarian and doesn't elaborate on why the default hypothesis is better. But, provided that one actually gives a specific argument, I think there is value in arguing against a contrarian hypothesis in support of the status quo. It tends to reveal what I like to call silent successes - the places where you don't even realize something is working well, which you only realize when a new solution is tried and fails in said places. Chesterton's Fence is a good formulation of this phenomenon.
For example, I appreciate pieces like this one by Yassine Meskhout which pushes back against some of Aella's position on polyamory (itself a contrarian position). While I don't agree with everything in the piece, it's much more valuable for it to exist than to not because it illuminates some of why monogamy (the default position) is actually good.
Yes, this makes a lot of sense. I think a ratio of 10-1 is healthy. So, for example, we have 90% normies, 9% contrarians, 0.9% meta-contrarians, 0.09% meta-meta, well you get the picture.
The problem is we have 90% normies, 5% contrarians, and 5% meta-contrarians most of whom are just closeted normies.
But I suppose we can quickly descend into this territory:
https://slatestarcodex.com/2013/06/09/all-debates-are-bravery-debates/
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