Interesting observation. I’m don’t have strong feelings about how fit rationalists are compared to the population. I have met various fit rationalists though.
A few come to mind in the local rationalist community in Portland.
I remember one guy on the LW Slack being really into weightlifting.
Over the years, somehow I’ve managed to meet up with four rationalists who are really into basketball. Perhaps because I’ve expressed interest in basketball in my writing. It still feels like a somewhat large coincidence though, given the small amount of LessWrongers who I presume to be into basketball. Anyway, each of these people have been extremely fit. 2-3 of them have played at the college level.
jefftk strikes me as being relatively fit. I vaguely recall posts indicating he spends a lot of time running, biking, dancing, and doing a decent amount of other outdoor activities. Similar with so8res.
Once upon a time I was pretty fit. Hopefully I can become fit again.
They value different things, but this is not uniformly less effort on any physical activity. More than one person from my very rationalist workplace climbs v8 boulders.
Is this intended to imply something about rationalists?
It says what it says. Obviously if there’s an actual trend it raises some questions, like whether or not rationalists just tend to care less about their health, or if intellectuals find it harder to come up with internal motivation for eating less. It does seem odd to me that rationalists would be more unhealthy than their general demographic given that being physically fit is a good instrumental goal for virtually everything.
I suspect there’s a True Scotsman argument embedded in the measurement behind this for one or more of “people you’ve met”, “physically fit” and “rationalist”.
I know of a number of people who are reasonably healthy and trim (but I don’t know if that’s “physically fit”), and who have heard of Eliezer Yudkowsky and at least some topics discussed on LW (but I don’t know if they are “rationalists”).
By “rationalist” I mean anybody LW-adjacent, that I’ve met at a meetup. By healthy I mean someone who looks like they have a BMI between 18 and 25, and exercises regularly.
And I actually need to revise: when I went to India I attended a LessWrong meetup, and there were many healthy people there. So this distinction is probably limited to American rationalists, of which I’m including myself as an unhealthy example; I have a BMI of about 30.
I have never met a physically fit rationalist
Interesting observation. I’m don’t have strong feelings about how fit rationalists are compared to the population. I have met various fit rationalists though.
A few come to mind in the local rationalist community in Portland.
I remember one guy on the LW Slack being really into weightlifting.
Over the years, somehow I’ve managed to meet up with four rationalists who are really into basketball. Perhaps because I’ve expressed interest in basketball in my writing. It still feels like a somewhat large coincidence though, given the small amount of LessWrongers who I presume to be into basketball. Anyway, each of these people have been extremely fit. 2-3 of them have played at the college level.
jefftk strikes me as being relatively fit. I vaguely recall posts indicating he spends a lot of time running, biking, dancing, and doing a decent amount of other outdoor activities. Similar with so8res.
Once upon a time I was pretty fit. Hopefully I can become fit again.
Meta: I disapprove of this being downvoted.
They value different things, but this is not uniformly less effort on any physical activity. More than one person from my very rationalist workplace climbs v8 boulders.
Where you live.
Texas.
Is this intended to imply something about rationalists? Maybe you should get out more.
BMI 20 here, and people who have just met me sometimes say unprompted that I look athletic.
It says what it says. Obviously if there’s an actual trend it raises some questions, like whether or not rationalists just tend to care less about their health, or if intellectuals find it harder to come up with internal motivation for eating less. It does seem odd to me that rationalists would be more unhealthy than their general demographic given that being physically fit is a good instrumental goal for virtually everything.
I suspect there’s a True Scotsman argument embedded in the measurement behind this for one or more of “people you’ve met”, “physically fit” and “rationalist”.
I know of a number of people who are reasonably healthy and trim (but I don’t know if that’s “physically fit”), and who have heard of Eliezer Yudkowsky and at least some topics discussed on LW (but I don’t know if they are “rationalists”).
By “rationalist” I mean anybody LW-adjacent, that I’ve met at a meetup. By healthy I mean someone who looks like they have a BMI between 18 and 25, and exercises regularly.
And I actually need to revise: when I went to India I attended a LessWrong meetup, and there were many healthy people there. So this distinction is probably limited to American rationalists, of which I’m including myself as an unhealthy example; I have a BMI of about 30.
I have.
(What is your criterion for “physically fit”?)
BMI between 18 and 25. Looks like they exercise some.