Are these two things not intimately connected? Should we not study the laws of rationality in the course of training to think rationally (indeed, in the course of determining what it means to think rationally, and determining how to train to think rationally)? And what is the point of studying the laws of rationality, if not to apply them?
I certainly do think they’re connected, but, they are still distinct concepts, and I think part of the reason Zack is focused on “rationalists as students of the laws of rationality” vs “applicants thereof” is that a community of law-studiers should behave differently. (as I understand it, pure math and applied math are different and people make a big deal about it??)
(and, to be clear, I think this is a pretty interesting consideration I hadn’t been thinking of lately. I appreciate Zack bringing it up, just want him to not be slight-of-handy about it)
Hmm, but I don’t think that rationality is actually analogous to math, in this respect. I think that the intimate connection between learning and applying rationality is, actually, a core property of rationality as a domain, as distinct from domains like math. Any disconnect between study and application threatens to undermine both!
Are these two things not intimately connected? Should we not study the laws of rationality in the course of training to think rationally (indeed, in the course of determining what it means to think rationally, and determining how to train to think rationally)? And what is the point of studying the laws of rationality, if not to apply them?
I certainly do think they’re connected, but, they are still distinct concepts, and I think part of the reason Zack is focused on “rationalists as students of the laws of rationality” vs “applicants thereof” is that a community of law-studiers should behave differently. (as I understand it, pure math and applied math are different and people make a big deal about it??)
(and, to be clear, I think this is a pretty interesting consideration I hadn’t been thinking of lately. I appreciate Zack bringing it up, just want him to not be slight-of-handy about it)
Hmm, but I don’t think that rationality is actually analogous to math, in this respect. I think that the intimate connection between learning and applying rationality is, actually, a core property of rationality as a domain, as distinct from domains like math. Any disconnect between study and application threatens to undermine both!
The beauty of the subject!