It’s always nice to hear that people are deriving utility (other than just the fun of discussion) out of all the stuff we talk about on this site. With that said, I wouldn’t emphasize the first benefit you listed too strongly.
Yeah, it’s true that surrounding yourself with people who agree with you on stuff is fun—and productive, if you agree correctly. But it’s not a specific benefit of rationality—if you happened to believe that decisions should be made by searching your heart for the Holy Spirit’s guidance, you would get exactly the same sense of subjective well-being by joining a group that believes the same thing. So to someone who isn’t already a member of your rationalist in-group, this isn’t going to look particularly appealing.
On the other hand, the second item does seem like something that’s specific to a rationalist community. I would be curious to see if anyone could think of more things like that—if enough come up, it could make good reading for people who aren’t necessarily enthusiastic about the topics LW covers.
I’ve heard Quakers praise Quaker desicion-making (like consensus, but with more pretense at being influenced by the Spirit) for the warm feeling it gives them. But those are only the ones who haven’t snuck out before the meeting due to the incredibly long time it takes.
curious to see if anyone could think of more things like that—if enough come up, it could make good reading for people who aren’t necessarily enthusiastic about the topics LW covers.
The less enthusiastic they are, the betterreading that would be.
It’s always nice to hear that people are deriving utility (other than just the fun of discussion) out of all the stuff we talk about on this site. With that said, I wouldn’t emphasize the first benefit you listed too strongly.
Yeah, it’s true that surrounding yourself with people who agree with you on stuff is fun—and productive, if you agree correctly. But it’s not a specific benefit of rationality—if you happened to believe that decisions should be made by searching your heart for the Holy Spirit’s guidance, you would get exactly the same sense of subjective well-being by joining a group that believes the same thing. So to someone who isn’t already a member of your rationalist in-group, this isn’t going to look particularly appealing.
On the other hand, the second item does seem like something that’s specific to a rationalist community. I would be curious to see if anyone could think of more things like that—if enough come up, it could make good reading for people who aren’t necessarily enthusiastic about the topics LW covers.
I’ve heard Quakers praise Quaker desicion-making (like consensus, but with more pretense at being influenced by the Spirit) for the warm feeling it gives them. But those are only the ones who haven’t snuck out before the meeting due to the incredibly long time it takes.
The less enthusiastic they are, the better reading that would be.