Is there any data on how people feel like rationality has changed their lives? Somewhat separate to what we’re doing as a community / what some of the most successful rationalists are up to, it seems worth trying to work out how engaging more with rationality changes things for people. I’m pretty sure my engagement with rationality has helped me become stronger; if it turned out not to help most people that would definitely change how I presented things.
I’m planning to write a sequence on all positive and negative effects the practice of rationality has had on my life, and I already have one post on pitfalls. Future posts will probably be about things like
forming realistic expectations
reading LW in a way that’s less reality-masking
a list of all the low-hanging fruit I’ve found
a list of interventions I’ve tried
weird effects from learning some rationality techniques but not others
the benefits of diversifying one’s sources of knowledge
re-learning how to interact with non-rationalist society
These will take a while to gestate and write up, but I expect to have a significant amount of content out before this time next year. Of course, this doesn’t replace a community survey, but I think a case study with emphasis on the practical will contribute significantly.
I kind of view this as a process of sequential self-sorting.
Some people go on and become obviously successful and develop a culture with norms, I think almost fully described by the early-to-middle LW proclaimed ideals. I am not among them and can’t say for certain; I am only certain they keep diversifying.
Other people trickle off into the other branch which keeps branching. I am among them. I keep running into a need to express thoughts according to virtuous rules which overshadows other needs most starkly, but I don’t feel inclined to make more things (including immaterial). Some thoughts have been nesting in me for years and I don’t expect them to leave soon.
Is there any data on how people feel like rationality has changed their lives? Somewhat separate to what we’re doing as a community / what some of the most successful rationalists are up to, it seems worth trying to work out how engaging more with rationality changes things for people. I’m pretty sure my engagement with rationality has helped me become stronger; if it turned out not to help most people that would definitely change how I presented things.
I’m planning to write a sequence on all positive and negative effects the practice of rationality has had on my life, and I already have one post on pitfalls. Future posts will probably be about things like
forming realistic expectations
reading LW in a way that’s less reality-masking
a list of all the low-hanging fruit I’ve found
a list of interventions I’ve tried
weird effects from learning some rationality techniques but not others
the benefits of diversifying one’s sources of knowledge
re-learning how to interact with non-rationalist society
These will take a while to gestate and write up, but I expect to have a significant amount of content out before this time next year. Of course, this doesn’t replace a community survey, but I think a case study with emphasis on the practical will contribute significantly.
I kind of view this as a process of sequential self-sorting.
Some people go on and become obviously successful and develop a culture with norms, I think almost fully described by the early-to-middle LW proclaimed ideals. I am not among them and can’t say for certain; I am only certain they keep diversifying.
Other people trickle off into the other branch which keeps branching. I am among them. I keep running into a need to express thoughts according to virtuous rules which overshadows other needs most starkly, but I don’t feel inclined to make more things (including immaterial). Some thoughts have been nesting in me for years and I don’t expect them to leave soon.