I wonder is this because most humans can’t find joy in the merely real, praising deities and trusting in other supernatural stuff like signs and horoscopes, so disbelieving and living in reality is abnormal?
or more prosaically, because the sequences are written in an idiosyncratic semi-autobiographical style with few citations and often grandiose language, and many people are immediately turned off by that
I don’t think the citations matter much, but the sequences are narrowly optimized—probably unintentionally—to reach people with a worldview and cultural background similar to Eliezer or his younger self. Not necessarily libertarians or people with apocalyptic preoccupations, as the survey results should make clear, but definitely people who have at some point wanted to be Kimball Kinnison or a character similar to him.
The grandiose language is one of the ways this manifests itself, but it’s not the only one. HPMoR aims a little broader, but not by much.
or more prosaically, because the sequences are written in an idiosyncratic semi-autobiographical style with few citations and often grandiose language, and many people are immediately turned off by that
I don’t think the citations matter much, but the sequences are narrowly optimized—probably unintentionally—to reach people with a worldview and cultural background similar to Eliezer or his younger self. Not necessarily libertarians or people with apocalyptic preoccupations, as the survey results should make clear, but definitely people who have at some point wanted to be Kimball Kinnison or a character similar to him.
The grandiose language is one of the ways this manifests itself, but it’s not the only one. HPMoR aims a little broader, but not by much.
Few citations compared with what? Certainly not an average website.
The Sequences don’t purport to be average.