This is a link post.

Alex Lawsen used a great metaphor on the 80k After Hours podcast:[1]

[1:38:14] …you’re rowing a boat on your own, and you’re trying to get somewhere, and you’ve got some map that you need to look at to see where you’re going, I imagine like a map and compass. […] When you’re rowing, you’re facing back; you can’t see where you’re going. You’ve just got to sit there and pull both of the oars, and do that a bunch of times, and then the boat goes forwards. […] You steer [… by pulling] harder with one side, something like that.

I can imagine […] you sitting forwards in the boat, and trying to hold the map with your left hand while it's gripping one oar, and trying to hold the compass with your right hand while it's gripping the other; pushing them rather than [...]

The original text contained 2 footnotes which were omitted from this narration.

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First published:
August 10th, 2024

Source:
https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/KaLHCLBFt988BEF8C/rowing-vs-steering

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Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.

“Rowing vs steering” by Saul Munn

LessWrong (30+ Karma)