″...then there’s the idea that rationalists should be able to (a) solve group coordination problems, (b) care a lot about other people and (c) win...”
Why should rationalists necessarily care a lot about other people? If we are to avoid circular altruism and the nefarious effects of other-optimizing, the best amount of caring might be less than “a lot.”
Additionally, caring about other people in the sense of seeking emotional gratification primarily in tribe-like social rituals may be truly inimical to dedicating one’s life to theoretical physics, math, or any other far-thinking discipline.
Caring about other people may entail involvement in politics, and local politics can be just as mind-killing as national politics.
Irony is a means of simultaneously signalling and countersignalling.
By ironically obeying correct social forms, it is possible to receive status from conventional culture and counter-culture. The conventional culture does not want to admit that it is the butt of irony, and the counterculture likes people who score points off of the conventional culture. Is anyone aware of research into irony as a signalling strategy?