[LINK] Scott Adam’s “Rationality Engine”. Part III: Assisted Dying

Scott Adams, the author of the Dilbert comic and several books, my favorite being How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big, named his debating format The Rationality Engine. He calls it this way because he claims that it is “the system for turning irrational opinions into rational outcomes”. He applies it to several polarizing issues, those this site tends to label “Politics” and “Mind Killer” and shy away from.

His first application, investigating the gender pay gap, seems to have worked pretty well, resulting in several unexpected conclusions. His second, Who is More Anti-Science? I found to be slightly less impressive, but still producing a rather balanced output.

Now he is applying it to the debate about Assisted Dying. Scott’s goal is to have a law passed in California that is similar to the ones already in effect in Oregon and several other places.

Scott will debate Jimmy Akin, a prominent contributor to Catholic Answers.

I am quite attracted to Scott’s attempts at hands-on instrumental rationality, and on a rather grand scale to boot. They are very much in the spirit of his latest book.

Currently he is accepting suggestions for questions and links for all sides of the issue. Feel free to contribute.

EDIT: I think adding cryonics to the discussion would only complicate the issue and not be helpful, but that’s just a guess.