I think I’m quite rational and have a decent understanding of aspects of rationality that I haven’t managed to implement yet. I think karma is a very imperfect measure, but I’ll note that I have more than 100 and less than 400.
She is probably one standard deviation above average in terms of IQ, and would score more highly when considering other kinds of intelligence. The main problem in convincing her to think more rationally is emotional resistance.
Thank you for responding—see my “Added” to the original comment.
I need relationship advice and I trust the wisdom and honesty of this community more than most of my friends. I created a new account to ask this question.
I’m with an incredibly compassionate, creative woman. She excels at her job, which is a “helping profession,” and one which I believe improves social welfare far more than most. The sex is outstanding.
But she loves magical thinking, she is somewhat averse to expected-utility calculations, my atheism, etc. She is, by her own admission, subject to strong swings of emotion and at greater than average risk of longer-lasting depression. We love each other but are scared that our differences may be too great.
How would you personally feel about a relationship like this? How should I go about deciding whether to continue this?
Added: We have been together more than 6 months. She has learned a decent amount about my way of thinking, but I have not pushed it on her. I frequently mention how great rationality is (but also mock myself to make sure we’re all having fun).
I wish I had confidence that trying to convert her to my way of thinking would have net-benefits for her and for the world long-term, but I don’t. Not that I’m convinced trying to convert her is a bad idea on utilitarian grounds either, it just seems risky.