(1) Even if we were all perfectly rational, it’d still take time to research the optimal answer to every question. Why shouldn’t I outsource that research to people who are interested in doing it and whose basic viewpoints I trust? [Edit: RomeoStevens already made this point above.]
(2) What’s the harm to you from posts on “applied rationality” topics being posted on LW? Don’t read or comment on what you aren’t interested in. If you prefer posts on the theory and practice of rationality itself, just read, comment on, and write those kinds of posts. LW Discussion is currently nowhere near being such a firehose that you can’t quickly sift through what’s been posted recently and decide which threads you’re likely to be interested in.
(3) As we improve as rationalists, it’s vital to repeatedly apply those skills in various contexts in order to practice them. Why shouldn’t that practice take place in a quasi-social arena where others can point out flaws or gaps? If I think I’ve learned some skill of rationality (such as researching the optimal product to buy for some purpose), the odds of my continuing to apply it successfully with no further input from other interested people are not very good. I guess in this bullet point I’m arguing that even seemingly very object-level discussions are, in the LW context, actually functioning in part as discussions of rationality.
Basically, I disagree with this. A few thoughts:
(1) Even if we were all perfectly rational, it’d still take time to research the optimal answer to every question. Why shouldn’t I outsource that research to people who are interested in doing it and whose basic viewpoints I trust? [Edit: RomeoStevens already made this point above.]
(2) What’s the harm to you from posts on “applied rationality” topics being posted on LW? Don’t read or comment on what you aren’t interested in. If you prefer posts on the theory and practice of rationality itself, just read, comment on, and write those kinds of posts. LW Discussion is currently nowhere near being such a firehose that you can’t quickly sift through what’s been posted recently and decide which threads you’re likely to be interested in.
(3) As we improve as rationalists, it’s vital to repeatedly apply those skills in various contexts in order to practice them. Why shouldn’t that practice take place in a quasi-social arena where others can point out flaws or gaps? If I think I’ve learned some skill of rationality (such as researching the optimal product to buy for some purpose), the odds of my continuing to apply it successfully with no further input from other interested people are not very good. I guess in this bullet point I’m arguing that even seemingly very object-level discussions are, in the LW context, actually functioning in part as discussions of rationality.