So, specifically with respect to “cult’ and “elitist” observations I see, in general, I would like to offer a single observation:
“Tsuyoku naritai” isn’t the motto of someone trying to conform to some sort of weird group norm. It’s not the motto of someone who hates people who have put in less time or effort than himself. It’s the recognition that it is possible to improve, and the estimation that improving is a worthwhile investment.
If your motivation for putting intellectual horsepower into this site isn’t that, I’d love to hear about it, because that previous phrase really resonates with me, and while I can imagine other motivations for being on a site with forums and stuff, I have a hard time thinking that anyone would go grab a copy of Jaynes merely because they wanted to blend in better.
So, specifically with respect to “cult’ and “elitist” observations I see, in general, I would like to offer a single observation:
“Tsuyoku naritai” isn’t the motto of someone trying to conform to some sort of weird group norm. It’s not the motto of someone who hates people who have put in less time or effort than himself. It’s the recognition that it is possible to improve, and the estimation that improving is a worthwhile investment.
If your motivation for putting intellectual horsepower into this site isn’t that, I’d love to hear about it, because that previous phrase really resonates with me, and while I can imagine other motivations for being on a site with forums and stuff, I have a hard time thinking that anyone would go grab a copy of Jaynes merely because they wanted to blend in better.
Yup, I’m all about continuous improvement, or at least try to be.