(note: I may be part of the problem—I consider myself a subscriber to and student of the rationalist philiosophy, but not necessarily a member of whatever is meant by “rationalist community”. I don’t know if your definition includes me or not.)
This topic might benefit from some benchmarking and comparison with other “communties”. Which ones seem more effective than rationalists? Which ones seem less? I’ve been involved with a lot of physical community groups (homeowner associations, local charities, etc.), and in almost no case would I say the community is effective on it’s own—some have very effective leaders who manage to get a lot of impact out of the community.
(note: I may be part of the problem—I consider myself a subscriber to and student of the rationalist philiosophy, but not necessarily a member of whatever is meant by “rationalist community”. I don’t know if your definition includes me or not.)
This topic might benefit from some benchmarking and comparison with other “communties”. Which ones seem more effective than rationalists? Which ones seem less? I’ve been involved with a lot of physical community groups (homeowner associations, local charities, etc.), and in almost no case would I say the community is effective on it’s own—some have very effective leaders who manage to get a lot of impact out of the community.