(I recognize that you meant instrumental rationality rather than epistemic rationality, and have read the comment with that in mind.)
Epistemic rationality is not equivalent to “being a Spockish asshole.” It simply means that one values rationality as an end and not just a means. If you do not value correcting people’s grammar for its own sake, then there is no reason to correct someone’s grammar. But that is an instrumental statement, so I suppose I should step back...
If you think that epistemic and instrumental rationality would disagree at certain points, try to reconsider their relationship. Any statement of “this ought to be done” is instrumental. Epistemic only covers “this is true/false.”
Epistemic rationality is not equivalent to “being a Spockish asshole.”
Yes, of course. Notably, epistemic rationality only requires you to look for and to prefer truth. It does not require you to shove the truth you found into everyone else’s face.
If you think that epistemic and instrumental rationality would disagree at certain points
One can find edge cases, but generally speaking if you treat epistemic rationality narrowly (see above) I would expect such a disagreement to arise very rarely.
On the other hand there are, as usual, complications :-/ For example, you might not go find the truth because doing this requires resources (e.g. time) and you feel these resources would be better spent elsewhere. Or if you think you have difficulties controlling your mind (see the rider and the elephant metaphor) you might find useful some tricks which involve deliberate denial of some information to yourself.
(I recognize that you meant instrumental rationality rather than epistemic rationality, and have read the comment with that in mind.)
Epistemic rationality is not equivalent to “being a Spockish asshole.” It simply means that one values rationality as an end and not just a means. If you do not value correcting people’s grammar for its own sake, then there is no reason to correct someone’s grammar. But that is an instrumental statement, so I suppose I should step back...
If you think that epistemic and instrumental rationality would disagree at certain points, try to reconsider their relationship. Any statement of “this ought to be done” is instrumental. Epistemic only covers “this is true/false.”
Yes, of course. Notably, epistemic rationality only requires you to look for and to prefer truth. It does not require you to shove the truth you found into everyone else’s face.
One can find edge cases, but generally speaking if you treat epistemic rationality narrowly (see above) I would expect such a disagreement to arise very rarely.
On the other hand there are, as usual, complications :-/ For example, you might not go find the truth because doing this requires resources (e.g. time) and you feel these resources would be better spent elsewhere. Or if you think you have difficulties controlling your mind (see the rider and the elephant metaphor) you might find useful some tricks which involve deliberate denial of some information to yourself.