Cambridge LW Rationality Practice: Being Specific

  • [Open in Google Maps] [Open in local app]
  • 19 February 2023, 3:30 pm—6:00 pm
  • MIT Build­ing 56, Ames Street, MIT, Cam­bridge, MA, USA
  • Contact: MIT Build­ing 56, Room 162 (Text /​ call me at [redacted] if you need to be let in.))

Join us for our monthly rationality meetup, where we will work on the skill of being specific! Specificity is the art of reducing abstractions to better understand or communicate an idea.

In this meetup, we will practice being specific, and also discuss where in our lives we would benefit from being more specific, whether it’s in our relationships, our work, our personal growth, or our efforts to solve big problems like climate change or AI alignment.

To prepare for the meetup, we invite you to read two posts from LessWrong:

  1. “SotW: Be Specific” (https://​​www.lesswrong.com/​​posts/​​NgtYDP3ZtLJaM248W/​​sotw-be-specific)

  2. “The Power to Solve Climate Change” (https://​​www.lesswrong.com/​​posts/​​rm2MueK3LxpRywE8N/​​the-power-to-solve-climate-change)

These posts offer some great insights into the importance and practicality of specificity, and will give you some food for thought before we dive into our exercises and discussions.

As always, the meetup is open to anyone who is interested in improving their rationality skills, whether you’re a seasoned veteran or a curious beginner. We look forward to seeing you there!

For help locating the building, see http://​​whereis.mit.edu/​​.

Meetup description written with the help of ChatGPT. Cover image generated by DALLE 2 (taking inspiration from the cover image of this sequence on Specificity: https://​​www.lesswrong.com/​​posts/​​XosKB3mkvmXMZ3fBQ/​​specificity-your-brain-s-superpower)

Best entrance to building 56. Red X marks the spot.
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