It seems to me that the problem of being interested in rationality for its own sake isn’t infinite recursion, so much as it is the fact that it’s less grounded in real world problems and goals.
Without something outside of rationality, people seem less likely to delve into new fields and acquire new information. Without something to protect, you can advance as slowly as you want.
When I was interested in rationality qua rationality I was mostly interested in it because I felt like it. Since getting some actual goals, I’ve progressed much faster. Most people don’t push their boundaries or strive to become stronger because they feel like it, because most people don’t feel like it.
When there’s something specific you’re trying to accomplish, you’re able to notice that your current best isn’t good enough, or that your current efforts won’t make it. And you’re able to think clearly about what you need to do to get there, which gives you an actual track to follow.
It seems that becoming more rational is massively helpful for most goals, and the pull of a goal helps you work harder.
Well, sure, if there’s something specific I’m trying to accomplish, my degree of success helps me rate my rationality, but if my goal is to be as rational as I can, then I can still use specific tasks to help me gauge how rational I am. If my goal is to be as rational as possible, without anything else to protect, there is still lots of time pressure on me, provided I don’t think I am as a rational as possible already. The more inefficiently I use my time, the poorer my final conception of rationality will be when I die, or on the off chance that i become as rational as I ever will be, then it’ll take longer to get there then if I had used my time more efficiently.
I agree that solving specific tasks besides becoming rational, is necessary for becoming more rational. I just don’t see why being rational must be instrumental for solving the task successfully, rather than my success in solving the task be a guide to becoming more rational. Again, lets assume I care a lot about being as rational as possible, or understanding rationality as best I can.
It seems to me that the problem of being interested in rationality for its own sake isn’t infinite recursion, so much as it is the fact that it’s less grounded in real world problems and goals.
Without something outside of rationality, people seem less likely to delve into new fields and acquire new information. Without something to protect, you can advance as slowly as you want.
When I was interested in rationality qua rationality I was mostly interested in it because I felt like it. Since getting some actual goals, I’ve progressed much faster. Most people don’t push their boundaries or strive to become stronger because they feel like it, because most people don’t feel like it.
When there’s something specific you’re trying to accomplish, you’re able to notice that your current best isn’t good enough, or that your current efforts won’t make it. And you’re able to think clearly about what you need to do to get there, which gives you an actual track to follow.
It seems that becoming more rational is massively helpful for most goals, and the pull of a goal helps you work harder.
Well, sure, if there’s something specific I’m trying to accomplish, my degree of success helps me rate my rationality, but if my goal is to be as rational as I can, then I can still use specific tasks to help me gauge how rational I am. If my goal is to be as rational as possible, without anything else to protect, there is still lots of time pressure on me, provided I don’t think I am as a rational as possible already. The more inefficiently I use my time, the poorer my final conception of rationality will be when I die, or on the off chance that i become as rational as I ever will be, then it’ll take longer to get there then if I had used my time more efficiently.
I agree that solving specific tasks besides becoming rational, is necessary for becoming more rational. I just don’t see why being rational must be instrumental for solving the task successfully, rather than my success in solving the task be a guide to becoming more rational. Again, lets assume I care a lot about being as rational as possible, or understanding rationality as best I can.