I tend not to use “rationalist” for myself—the implication of identity and mix of description and value signaling rubs me the wrong way. For those who are describing actual group membership, part of the “rationalist community”, I can see reasons to use “rationalist” and “aspiring rationalist” in different contexts, depending on what you’re signaling and to whom.
Outside of community identification, “aspiring rationalist” implies a focus on application of rationality to one’s personal life, where just “rationalist” is broader, and may only imply an interest in the topic.
Note: I should acknowledge that I don’t think this is terribly important, and my standard advice for naming and jargon discussions remains “if it matters, use more words”.
I tend not to use “rationalist” for myself—the implication of identity and mix of description and value signaling rubs me the wrong way. For those who are describing actual group membership, part of the “rationalist community”, I can see reasons to use “rationalist” and “aspiring rationalist” in different contexts, depending on what you’re signaling and to whom.
Outside of community identification, “aspiring rationalist” implies a focus on application of rationality to one’s personal life, where just “rationalist” is broader, and may only imply an interest in the topic.
Note: I should acknowledge that I don’t think this is terribly important, and my standard advice for naming and jargon discussions remains “if it matters, use more words”.