This might be easier to investigate if you gave us an operational definition of “awesome.” If it reduces to “those you admire,” and it probably does, it shouldn’t be surprising that they’re all clustered together. You find new people to admire by the recommendations and name-droppings of those who have similar tastes to you.
Okay, the people who promote a certain cluster of ideas centering on skepticism, rationalism, atheism and libertarianism, in the U.S. and culturally connected nations. (Which, yes, is quite close to “people I admire”. I wasn’t trying to claim it was especially surprising, although I am often surprised at just how tight it is.) In particular:
Eliezer
Robin Hanson
Steve Landsburg
Peter Thiel
Patri Friedman
James Randi
Penn Jillette (and Teller)
Adam Savage & Jamie Hynaman
Trey Parker & Matt Stone
Dawkins
Hitchens
and probably some others I can’t think of right now.
How About Eliezer, Peter Thiel, Peter Diamandis, done… I know that Peter Diamandis would NOT be turned away by Hitchens… Now, it is just a matter of getting ahold of a few mullionaire/billionaire types…
This is a tempting approach. I’m guessing, though, that if Diamandis was going to go around promoting cryonics to his friends, he’d have done it already; but maybe he’d be sympathetic enough to pass on a letter, or something?
Some may not know this, Steven Landsburg is a member here since I posted a quotation from his latest book. Here is a highly interesting discussion that resulted from it.
This might be easier to investigate if you gave us an operational definition of “awesome.” If it reduces to “those you admire,” and it probably does, it shouldn’t be surprising that they’re all clustered together. You find new people to admire by the recommendations and name-droppings of those who have similar tastes to you.
Okay, the people who promote a certain cluster of ideas centering on skepticism, rationalism, atheism and libertarianism, in the U.S. and culturally connected nations. (Which, yes, is quite close to “people I admire”. I wasn’t trying to claim it was especially surprising, although I am often surprised at just how tight it is.) In particular:
Eliezer
Robin Hanson
Steve Landsburg
Peter Thiel
Patri Friedman
James Randi
Penn Jillette (and Teller)
Adam Savage & Jamie Hynaman
Trey Parker & Matt Stone
Dawkins
Hitchens
and probably some others I can’t think of right now.
How About Eliezer, Peter Thiel, Peter Diamandis, done… I know that Peter Diamandis would NOT be turned away by Hitchens… Now, it is just a matter of getting ahold of a few mullionaire/billionaire types…
This is a tempting approach. I’m guessing, though, that if Diamandis was going to go around promoting cryonics to his friends, he’d have done it already; but maybe he’d be sympathetic enough to pass on a letter, or something?
Some may not know this, Steven Landsburg is a member here since I posted a quotation from his latest book. Here is a highly interesting discussion that resulted from it.