Thanks, I just signed up. Do you think taking a full CFAR workshop would be a good next step after The Sequences? I’ll be done in about 4 days at current reading speed (no planning fallacy adjustments), so I should probably plan ahead now.
People might not like my response, but I’d say that if you’re in a situation where you believe something might be beneficial to you but it consumes a substantial portion of your resources, you should heavily lean towards not going. This applies as much to a rationality workshop attended by someone with a tiny budget as it applies to playing the stock market. Making large expenditures for an uncertain return is generally a bad bet even if the expected utility gain is positive, if failure has a very negative consequence. And human beings are notoriously bad at assessing the expected utility in such situations.
You also need to be very confident in your ability to evaluate arguments if you don’t want to end up worse than before.
Obviously, this doesn’t apply if you’re absolutely certain that going gives you more benefit than you forego in money, time, and parental willingness to give in (which may, in fact, be in limited supply) so there is no risk of loss, but not too many people are really that certain.
But surely going to a rationality workshop is the best way to learn to evaluate whether to go to a rationality workshop. And whether it succeeds or not, you can be convinced it was a good idea!
Thanks, I just signed up. Do you think taking a full CFAR workshop would be a good next step after The Sequences? I’ll be done in about 4 days at current reading speed (no planning fallacy adjustments), so I should probably plan ahead now.
It would definitely be a good next step. I don’t know if they have a minimum age for workshops, but it doesn’t hurt to apply.
I don’t believe they have age constraints, the issue is the monetary constraints :p
Thanks for your help!
They offer financial aid, too.
Since I have a total of $23, I must get my parents to pay and allow me to go for a week, that will be the tricky part
People might not like my response, but I’d say that if you’re in a situation where you believe something might be beneficial to you but it consumes a substantial portion of your resources, you should heavily lean towards not going. This applies as much to a rationality workshop attended by someone with a tiny budget as it applies to playing the stock market. Making large expenditures for an uncertain return is generally a bad bet even if the expected utility gain is positive, if failure has a very negative consequence. And human beings are notoriously bad at assessing the expected utility in such situations.
You also need to be very confident in your ability to evaluate arguments if you don’t want to end up worse than before.
Obviously, this doesn’t apply if you’re absolutely certain that going gives you more benefit than you forego in money, time, and parental willingness to give in (which may, in fact, be in limited supply) so there is no risk of loss, but not too many people are really that certain.
But surely going to a rationality workshop is the best way to learn to evaluate whether to go to a rationality workshop. And whether it succeeds or not, you can be convinced it was a good idea!