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“The Broken Screwdriver and other parables” by bhauth


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previously: The Parable Of The Fallen Pendulum

The Broken Screwdriver

Alice: Hey Bob, I need something to put this screw in the wall.

Bob: OK, here's a screwdriver.

Alice starts trying to hammer a screw in using the butt of the screwdriver.

Alice: I think this screwdriver is broken.

Bob: You're not using it correctly, you have to fit the other end inside the screw and twist the screw in.

Alice tries doing that.

Alice: It's still not working.

Bob: You're using the hex bit, you need to swap it for the Philips head.

Alice: Bob, this screwdriver has already failed to work twice, and each time, I did a Bayesian update against it being a working screwdriver. It seems pretty likely that it's actually broken.

Bob: Tools are only expected to work within a narrow range of [...]

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Outline:

(00:09) The Broken Screwdriver

(01:42) The Finicky Car

(02:51) The Suspicious Math Professor

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First published:

March 4th, 2024

Source:

https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/x5CNievhunvBjJAC9/the-broken-screwdriver-and-other-parables

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Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.

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