The largest effect in my life has been in fighting mental illness, both indirectly by making me seek help and identify problems that I need to work with, and directly by getting rid of delusions.
It’s also given me the realization that I have long term goals and that I might actually have an impact on them. Without that I’d for example never have put the effort in to get an actual education for example or even realized that was important.
These are just the largest and most concrete things, I have a hard time thinking of ANYTHING positive in my life that’s not due to rationality.
I don’t really have friends except a few online ones, and if no for rationality’s effects on mental health I probably would not have the ability to interact with family. So no, not even those.
The largest effect in my life has been in fighting mental illness, both indirectly by making me seek help and identify problems that I need to work with, and directly by getting rid of delusions.
It’s also given me the realization that I have long term goals and that I might actually have an impact on them. Without that I’d for example never have put the effort in to get an actual education for example or even realized that was important.
These are just the largest and most concrete things, I have a hard time thinking of ANYTHING positive in my life that’s not due to rationality.
Friends and loved ones are pretty good in the general case :-)
But yes, learning to be less dumb is a general formula for success.
I don’t really have friends except a few online ones, and if no for rationality’s effects on mental health I probably would not have the ability to interact with family. So no, not even those.
I was wondering if that was the case, hence the “general case” disclaimer.
“The largest effect in my life has been in fighting mental illness,”
Hey Armok,
I’d love to hear more details on this. Maybe do a post in discussion? Doesn’t have to be elaborate or anything but I’m really curious.
No, but I can link to a previous discussion on why not: http://lesswrong.com/lw/4ws/collecting_successes_and_deltas/3qml