A Human's Guide to Words

A series on the use and abuse of words; why you often can't define a word any way you like; how human brains seem to process definitions. First introduces the Mind projection fallacy and the concept of how an algorithm feels from inside, which makes it a basic intro to key elements of the LW zeitgeist.

A guide to this sequence is available at 37 Ways That Words Can Be Wrong.

• The Parable of the Dagger
• The Parable of Hemlock
• Words as Hidden Inferences
• Extensions and Intensions
• Similarity Clusters
• Typicality and Asymmetrical Similarity
• The Cluster Structure of Thingspace
• Disguised Queries
• Neural Categories
• How An Algorithm Feels From Inside
• Disputing Definitions
• Feel the Meaning
• The Argument From Common Usage
• Empty Labels
• Taboo Your Words
• Replace the Symbol with the Substance
• Fallacies of Compression
• Categorizing Has Consequences
• Sneaking in Connotations
• Arguing "By Definition"
• Where to Draw the Boundary?
• Entropy, and Short Codes
• Mutual Information, and Density in Thingspace
• Superexponential Conceptspace, and Simple Words
• Conditional Independence, and Naive Bayes
• Words as Mental Paintbrush Handles
• Variable Question Fallacies
• 37 Ways That Suboptimal Use Of Categories Can Have Negative Side Effects On Your Cognition

Alternative formats

• Podcast: http://castify.co/channels/16-less-wrong-a-human-s-guide-to-words
• ReadLists: http://readlists.com/9c3edb18