Something we could wear or include in things like business cards, that would act as an acknowledgement to others of our committment to rationality.
I agree with antigonus that we ought to avoid setting ourselves up as a tribe. Sure, it’s possible to do signaling right, and it would be nice to be able to recognize other aspiring rationalists at a glance; but that benefit is quite small because the number of aspiring rationalists is currently so low (or do I only think that because they’re all just waiting to buy the T-shirt when it comes out?).
Meanwhile, a symbol could alienate others instead of encouraging them to try to become less wrong. It may not actually make them feel antagonistic, of course; it could just signal that the bearer is in her own clique, and the viewer is in a separate one. In other words, it would show that rationality is a clique thing, not a good thing.
Furthermore, perhaps if we become good enough at making good decisions and having correct beliefs, people will recognize our “commitment to rationality.” If they do not recognize it, perhaps that is a problem with us, not with our symbology.
I agree with antigonus that we ought to avoid setting ourselves up as a tribe. Sure, it’s possible to do signaling right, and it would be nice to be able to recognize other aspiring rationalists at a glance; but that benefit is quite small because the number of aspiring rationalists is currently so low (or do I only think that because they’re all just waiting to buy the T-shirt when it comes out?).
Meanwhile, a symbol could alienate others instead of encouraging them to try to become less wrong. It may not actually make them feel antagonistic, of course; it could just signal that the bearer is in her own clique, and the viewer is in a separate one. In other words, it would show that rationality is a clique thing, not a good thing.
Furthermore, perhaps if we become good enough at making good decisions and having correct beliefs, people will recognize our “commitment to rationality.” If they do not recognize it, perhaps that is a problem with us, not with our symbology.