Some bad default/attractor properties of cause-focused groups of humans:
Bad group epistemcis
The loudest aren’t the most worth listening to
People don’t dissent even when that would be correct
Because they don’t naturally even think to challenge group assumptions
Because dissent is punished
Bad individual epistemics
Soldier mindset
Excessively focusing on persuasion and how to persuade, relative to understanding the world
Lacking vibes like curiosity is cool and changing your mind is cool
Feeling like a movement
Excessively focusing on influence-seeking for the movement
Having enemies and being excessively adversarial to them
(Signs/symptoms are people asking the group “what do we believe” and excessive fixation on what defines the group or distinguishes it from adjacent groups)
Having group instrumental-goals or plans or theories-of-victory that everyone is supposed to share (to be clear I think it’s often fine for a group to share ~ultimate goals but groups often fixate on particular often-suboptimal paths to achieving those goals)
Choosing instrumental goals poorly and not revising them
Excessive fighting over status/leadership (maybe, sometimes)
Maybe… being bad at achieving goals, or bad instrumental rationality (group and individual)
Some bad default/attractor properties of cause-focused groups of humans:
Bad group epistemcis
The loudest aren’t the most worth listening to
People don’t dissent even when that would be correct
Because they don’t naturally even think to challenge group assumptions
Because dissent is punished
Bad individual epistemics
Soldier mindset
Excessively focusing on persuasion and how to persuade, relative to understanding the world
Lacking vibes like curiosity is cool and changing your mind is cool
Feeling like a movement
Excessively focusing on influence-seeking for the movement
Having enemies and being excessively adversarial to them
(Signs/symptoms are people asking the group “what do we believe” and excessive fixation on what defines the group or distinguishes it from adjacent groups)
Having group instrumental-goals or plans or theories-of-victory that everyone is supposed to share (to be clear I think it’s often fine for a group to share ~ultimate goals but groups often fixate on particular often-suboptimal paths to achieving those goals)
Choosing instrumental goals poorly and not revising them
Excessive fighting over status/leadership (maybe, sometimes)
Maybe… being bad at achieving goals, or bad instrumental rationality (group and individual)
Maybe something weird about authority...
(I’m interested in readings on this topic.)