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The LessWrong/"rationality" crowd aren't compromising their values; they just have bad values that lead to negative outcomes, masked by high-minded rhetoric tha
by Planktonne 3mo ago
The LessWrong/"rationality" crowd aren't compromising their values; they just have bad values that lead to negative outcomes, masked by high-minded rhetoric that they themselves only half believe.
It's a popular movement that has wound its way through out society, and the fruits are clear: surveillance capitalism, eugenics, fraud. It's honestly quite impressive how consistently you can look at [recent negative trend] and find someone at the bottom calling themselves a rationalist and claiming the same set of influences.
The fundamental tenet of that set isn't rationalism but the belief that they are superior to the exploitable masses. That does not lead anywhere good.
- wpietri 3mo agoEven setting that crowd aside, almost every time I see somebody puffed up about how "rational" they are it turns out to involve a vigorous avoidance of the values they're working from. I know somebody who says that doing debate in high school and college was terrible for him because it trained him to always argue his point but never to question it. For example, at the time he thought of himself as supremely rational even as he'd make a strong case for why he shouldn't quit smoking. It was only much later that he could admit that was his addiction and his ego talking.
- ungovernableCat 3mo agoThe best example of lesswrong rationality in practice is this infamous piece and the first reply to it. https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/udFuYqqNdpdo5ym3f/genuine-question-if-eliezer-is-so-rational-why-is-he-fat-1 https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/udFuYqqNdpdo5ym3f/genuine-qu...
- wpietri 2mo agoOh wow, that's amazing. The need to be verbally right and perfect no matter the cost is such a curse, so blinding. I hope they all get free of it someday.