4 ms·

> The "they" you are describing is a large body of disparate people spread around the world. [Citation needed] I sincerely doubt anything but a tiny insignifi

by aydyn 1y ago

> The "they" you are describing is a large body of disparate people spread around the world. [Citation needed] I sincerely doubt anything but a tiny insignificant minority consider themselves part of the "rationalist community".

ben_w 1y ago
"Large" is very vague. The leaderboard shows (50 of) 166385 registered accounts* on https://www.lesswrong.com/leaderboard https://www.lesswrong.com/leaderboard This is simultaneously a large body and an insignificant minority. * How many are junk accounts? IDK. But I do know it's international, because I live in Berlin, Germany, and socialise regularly.
- judahmeek 1y ago
  > But I do know it's international, because I live in Berlin, Germany, and socialise regularly. This made me chuckle. Thanks!
- barnabee 1y ago
  I have an account on LessWrong. Heck, I even try to act rationally most of the time. I don’t consider myself a Rationalist or part of the Rationalist community. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if that number turns out to overstate the size by an order of magnitude.
poszlem 1y ago
I realized a few years ago that there's an important difference between someone who believes women should have equal rights and a feminist. Similarly, there's a difference between someone who believes men should have equal rights and a men's rights advocate. I often sympathize with the first group. I often disagree with the latter. This same distinction applies to rationality: there's a huge difference between someone who strives to be rational and someone who belongs to a "rationalist community".
- pas 1y ago
  How big is this 3rd gap compared to the aforementioned 2 other gaps?
- Viliam1234 1y ago
  > This same distinction applies to rationality: there's a huge difference between someone who strives to be rational and someone who belongs to a "rationalist community". I consider myself a member of both these groups, and I fully agree. Many people are in the rationality community only because they like the vibes, not because they actually try to practice the art. It probably can't be avoided -- the community is open to newcomers and has no formal membership.

by aydyn 1y ago

ben_w 1y ago

"Large" is very vague. The leaderboard shows (50 of) 166385 registered accounts* on https://www.lesswrong.com/leaderboard https://www.lesswrong.com/leaderboard This is simultaneously a large body and an insignificant minority. * How many are junk accounts? IDK. But I do know it's international, because I live in Berlin, Germany, and socialise regularly.

judahmeek 1y ago
> But I do know it's international, because I live in Berlin, Germany, and socialise regularly. This made me chuckle. Thanks!
barnabee 1y ago
I have an account on LessWrong. Heck, I even try to act rationally most of the time. I don’t consider myself a Rationalist or part of the Rationalist community. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if that number turns out to overstate the size by an order of magnitude.

poszlem 1y ago

I realized a few years ago that there's an important difference between someone who believes women should have equal rights and a feminist. Similarly, there's a difference between someone who believes men should have equal rights and a men's rights advocate. I often sympathize with the first group. I often disagree with the latter. This same distinction applies to rationality: there's a huge difference between someone who strives to be rational and someone who belongs to a "rationalist community".

pas 1y ago
How big is this 3rd gap compared to the aforementioned 2 other gaps?
Viliam1234 1y ago
> This same distinction applies to rationality: there's a huge difference between someone who strives to be rational and someone who belongs to a "rationalist community". I consider myself a member of both these groups, and I fully agree. Many people are in the rationality community only because they like the vibes, not because they actually try to practice the art. It probably can't be avoided -- the community is open to newcomers and has no formal membership.