If I remember correctly, the topic of disagreement was healthcare systems. I said I liked the Swiss one. Vassar replied that it couldn’t possibly work well, because the only working healthcare system in the world was Metamed, his startup at the time which later failed. A roomful of rationalists (quite high caliber, we were at a MIRI workshop) nodded along to him. I think Eliezer was in the room too but noncommittal? Anyway I was almost in disbelief about this, left the party pretty soon, and it must’ve played a role in my drifting away from the rationalist scene overall.
I’ve never actually lived there, but this is what I imagine the bay area in general is like, not just rationalists.
(I live in the Bay Area, and this really seems extremely far from a representative experience of what it’s like to live here. There are definitely many weird and often interesting contrarians, but ‘seeing a room nod along with a crazy statement’ is really not what I’ve observed happening here. Vigorous debate and disagreement is quite common)
I’ve never actually lived there, but this is what I imagine the bay area in general is like, not just rationalists.
(I live in the Bay Area, and this really seems extremely far from a representative experience of what it’s like to live here. There are definitely many weird and often interesting contrarians, but ‘seeing a room nod along with a crazy statement’ is really not what I’ve observed happening here. Vigorous debate and disagreement is quite common)