Hello. I found LW from two directions: first, I’m serious about philanthropy, and saw references to LW on GiveWell. Second, my husband and I are reading aloud from Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality each night.
I’m a grad student in social work. I find that social work has a lot in common with some of LW’s goals (mainly self-improvement). Given that LW is aimed at very high-functioning people, which most social work is not, it uses some different methods. But I suspect LW could benefit from some ideas from social work.
Hello. I found LW from two directions: first, I’m serious about philanthropy, and saw references to LW on GiveWell. Second, my husband and I are reading aloud from Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality each night.
I’m a grad student in social work. I find that social work has a lot in common with some of LW’s goals (mainly self-improvement). Given that LW is aimed at very high-functioning people, which most social work is not, it uses some different methods. But I suspect LW could benefit from some ideas from social work.
Welcome! If you haven’t already, you may want to check out some of LessWrong’s posts on efficient philanthropy and Luke’s sequence on the scientific knowledge behind self-improvement.. People’s brains work (mostly) the same way, whether aspiring rationalists or the beneficiaries of social work, so I’d be very interested in reading your perspective on self-improvement in your field.
Welcome! And nice to meet you :)
I’d be interested in hearing about social work.