There are so many comments here about what does and doesn’t count as a “cult”, and whether Lesswrong is cultish. People, it doesn’t matter. The point is that that’s not the point.
Why are we wary of cults? Because they’re harmful in various ways. There are particular ways in which they’re harmful, and particular things that cause them to be harmful in those ways.
Suppose that the inclusion criteria for “cult” had nothing to do with the harmful parts and consisted entirely of beneficial features. Suppose, for instance, that a cult is merely “any social thing that tends to make participants happy”. Then it would be a good thing to be in a cult, and any harm done by the activities of the cult would be due entirely to the harmful activities and not to its status as cult.
When we try to pin down how our real notions of cult differ from that scenario, we end up with a list of features. Some of those features are harmful, and some are beneficial. Moreover, some of the features are both harmful and beneficial. We can circle those features. Then, regardless of what we call ourselves, we can avoid the items on the list that are merely harmful, mitigate or eliminate the potential damage done by the items that are also beneficial, and thereby create a kick-ass thing that helps us win. Whether it’s rightly called a cult is irrelevant to whether it’s a good thing.
The point is not to avoid being a cult. The point is to avoid causing the damage cults tend to cause, especially while borrowing their most useful strategies. Remember: “Do not lose reasonably. Win.”
There are so many comments here about what does and doesn’t count as a “cult”, and whether Lesswrong is cultish. People, it doesn’t matter. The point is that that’s not the point.
Why are we wary of cults? Because they’re harmful in various ways. There are particular ways in which they’re harmful, and particular things that cause them to be harmful in those ways.
Suppose that the inclusion criteria for “cult” had nothing to do with the harmful parts and consisted entirely of beneficial features. Suppose, for instance, that a cult is merely “any social thing that tends to make participants happy”. Then it would be a good thing to be in a cult, and any harm done by the activities of the cult would be due entirely to the harmful activities and not to its status as cult.
When we try to pin down how our real notions of cult differ from that scenario, we end up with a list of features. Some of those features are harmful, and some are beneficial. Moreover, some of the features are both harmful and beneficial. We can circle those features. Then, regardless of what we call ourselves, we can avoid the items on the list that are merely harmful, mitigate or eliminate the potential damage done by the items that are also beneficial, and thereby create a kick-ass thing that helps us win. Whether it’s rightly called a cult is irrelevant to whether it’s a good thing.
The point is not to avoid being a cult. The point is to avoid causing the damage cults tend to cause, especially while borrowing their most useful strategies. Remember: “Do not lose reasonably. Win.”