{"channel":"misc","content":" we note a Substack which claims that, instead of a \"Big Five\", there is actually a Zipf distribution of discernment of various attributes.\n\nThe most discerning one, named ALPHA, is:\n\nFOUND IN WORDS LIKE \"considerate, peaceful, respectful, kind, courteous, unaggressive, polite, agreeable, cordial, reasonable, pleasant\"\n\nOPPOSED IN WORDS LIKE \"abusive, belligerent, disrespectful, quarrelsome, unkind, rude, bigoted, intolerant, inconsiderate, uncooperative\"\n\nin the traditional \"Big Five\", closest to \"agreeableness\"\n\ndescribed by that guy as \"social self-regulation\".\n\nThe second-most discerning one, named BETA, is described by this guy as \"dynamism\" - impulsiveness v. cautiousness.\n\n obviously, a \"positive\" ALPHA is generally coded as \u597d in society, and I tend to have \"negative\" ALPHA.\n\nThis is partly because \"ALPHA\" is in fact a conflation of multiple different factors.\u00a0 If all of these things cast a shadow, then \"length of shadow\" is ... not the most important factor in measuring them, but it is the most discerning.\n\nI could call \"positive\" ALPHA as \"eloi\" and \"negative\" ALPHA as \"morlock\" and would be, more or less, correct.\n\nJust because the extremes are \"polite\" and \"abusive\" doesn't mean that everything should be measured on that scale.\n\n perhaps, in conclusion, this mythical ALPHA is best described by Milan Kundera at the start of The Unbearable Lightness of Being (who quotes Parmenides).\u00a0 There is a sense that \"brightness\", \"fineness\", \"warmth\" have one attribute, and their opposites \"darkness\", \"coarseness\", \"coldness\" do not.\u00a0 But which of \"lightness\" and \"weight\" has the attribute?\n\nRegardless, my conclusion is that \"ALPHA\" proves too much, and is inherently self-contradictory.\u00a0 The version he calls \"rotated\" removes at least some of these problems, and is to be preferred.\n\n of course there is self-interest, as, as noted earlier, positive-ALPHA is coded as \"good in all circumstances\", and I am coded negative-ALPHA in a way that relies on \"even a smart nine year old could see through the holes in the high-positive-ALPHA mindset\".\n\n trust not in those who worship models ...\n\nUltimately, the\u00a0sin\u00a0here is that which Nietzsche pointed out.\u00a0 Is the dimension \"good v. bad\" or \"good v. evil\"?\n\n when you\u00a0cast\u00a0both to the same scale, one has the uncomfortable property that the opposite of \"ungood\" is sometimes \"good\" and sometimes still \"ungood\".","created_at":"2023-06-10T23:09:05","id":377,"llm_annotations":{},"parent_id":null,"processed_content":"

\n \ud83d\udca1\n we note a Substack which claims that, instead of a \"Big Five\", there is actually a Zipf distribution of discernment of various attributes.\n

\n

The most discerning one, named ALPHA, is:

\n

FOUND IN WORDS LIKE \"considerate, peaceful, respectful, kind, courteous, unaggressive, polite, agreeable, cordial, reasonable, pleasant\"

\n

OPPOSED IN WORDS LIKE \"abusive, belligerent, disrespectful, quarrelsome, unkind, rude, bigoted, intolerant, inconsiderate, uncooperative\"

\n

in the traditional \"Big Five\", closest to \"agreeableness\"

\n

described by that guy as \"social self-regulation\".

\n

The second-most discerning one, named BETA, is described by this guy as \"dynamism\" - impulsiveness v. cautiousness.

\n

\n \ud83d\udd25\n obviously, a \"positive\" ALPHA is generally coded as \u597d in society, and I tend to have \"negative\" ALPHA.\n

\n

This is partly because \"ALPHA\" is in fact a conflation of multiple different factors.\u00a0 If all of these things cast a shadow, then \"length of shadow\" is ... not the most important factor in measuring them, but it is the most discerning.

\n

I could call \"positive\" ALPHA as \"eloi\" and \"negative\" ALPHA as \"morlock\" and would be, more or less, correct.

\n

Just because the extremes are \"polite\" and \"abusive\" doesn't mean that everything should be measured on that scale.

\n

\n \ud83d\udcad\n perhaps, in conclusion, this mythical ALPHA is best described by Milan Kundera at the start of The Unbearable Lightness of Being (who quotes Parmenides).\u00a0 There is a sense that \"brightness\", \"fineness\", \"warmth\" have one attribute, and their opposites \"darkness\", \"coarseness\", \"coldness\" do not.\u00a0 But which of \"lightness\" and \"weight\" has the attribute?\n

\n

Regardless, my conclusion is that \"ALPHA\" proves too much, and is inherently self-contradictory.\u00a0 The version he calls \"rotated\" removes at least some of these problems, and is to be preferred.

\n

\n \ud83d\udd25\n of course there is self-interest, as, as noted earlier, positive-ALPHA is coded as \"good in all circumstances\", and I am coded negative-ALPHA in a way that relies on \"even a smart nine year old could see through the holes in the high-positive-ALPHA mindset\".\n

\n

\n \u2728\n trust not in those who worship models ...\n

\n

Ultimately, the\u00a0sin\u00a0here is that which Nietzsche pointed out.\u00a0 Is the dimension \"good v. bad\" or \"good v. evil\"?

\n

\n \ud83d\udd25\n when you\u00a0cast\u00a0both to the same scale, one has the uncomfortable property that the opposite of \"ungood\" is sometimes \"good\" and sometimes still \"ungood\".\n

","quotes":[],"subject":"contra vectors.substack"}