View source for Less Wrong/2009 Articles/Summaries

=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/xb/free_to_optimize/ Free to Optimize]=====
It may be better to create a world that operates by better rules, that you can understand, so that you can optimize your own future, than to create a world that includes some sort of deity that can be prayed to. The human reluctance to have their future controlled by an outside source is a nontrivial part of morality.

=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/xc/the_uses_of_fun_theory/ The Uses of Fun (Theory)]=====

Fun
Theory is important for replying to critics of human progress; for
inspiring people to keep working on human progress; for refuting
religious arguments that the world could possibly have been
benevolently designed; for showing that religious Heavens show the
signature of the same human biases that torpedo other attempts at
Utopia; and for appreciating the great complexity of our values and of
a life worth living, which requires a correspondingly strong effort of
AI design to create AIs that can play good roles in a good future.

=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/xd/growing_up_is_hard/ Growing Up is Hard]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/xe/changing_emotions/ Changing Emotions]=====

Creating new emotions seems like a desirable aspect of many parts of
Fun Theory, but this is not to be trivially postulated. It's the sort
of thing best done with superintelligent help, and slowly and
conservatively even then. We can illustrate these difficulties by
trying to translate the short English phrase "change sex" into a
cognitive transformation of extraordinary complexity and many hidden
subproblems.

=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/xf/rationality_quotes_21/ Rationality Quotes 21]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/xg/emotional_involvement/ Emotional Involvement]=====

Since the events in video games have no actual long-term consequences, playing a video game is not likely to be nearly as <em>emotionally involving</em>
as much less dramatic events in real life. The supposed Utopia of
playing lots of cool video games forever, is life as a series of
disconnected episodes with no lasting consequences. Our current
emotions are bound to activities that were subgoals of reproduction in
the ancestral environment - but we now pursue these activities as
independent goals regardless of whether they lead to reproduction.

=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/xh/rationality_quotes_22/ Rationality Quotes 22]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/xi/serious_stories/ Serious Stories]=====

<em>Stories </em>and <em>lives </em>are optimized according to rather different criteria. Advice on how to write fiction will tell you that "stories are about people's pain" and "every scene must end in disaster". I once assumed that it was not possible to write any story about a successful Singularity because the inhabitants would not be in any pain; but something about the final conclusion that the post-Singularity world would contain <em>no </em>stories worth telling seemed alarming. Stories in which nothing ever goes wrong, are painful to read; would a life of endless success have the same painful quality? If so, should we simply eliminate that revulsion via neural rewiring? Pleasure probably <em>does</em> retain its meaning in the absence of pain to contrast it; they are different neural systems. The present world has an imbalance between pain and pleasure; it is much easier to produce severe pain than correspondingly intense pleasure. One path would be to address the <em>imbalance</em> and create a world with more pleasures, and free of the more grindingly destructive and pointless sorts of pain. Another approach would be to eliminate pain <em>entirely</em>. I feel like I prefer the former approach, but I don't know if it can last in the long run.

=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/xj/rationality_quotes_23/ Rationality Quotes 23]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/xk/continuous_improvement/ Continuous Improvement]=====

Humans seem to be on a hedonic treadmill; over time, we adjust to any improvements in our environment - after a month, the new sports car no longer seems quite as wonderful. This aspect of our evolved psychology is not surprising: it is a rare organism in a rare environment whose optimal reproductive strategy is to rest with a smile on its face, feeling happy with what it already has. To entirely delete the hedonic treadmill seems perilously close to tampering with Boredom itself. Is there enough fun in the universe for a transhuman to jog off the treadmill - improve their life continuously, leaping to ever-higher hedonic levels before adjusting to the previous one? Can ever-higher levels of pleasure be created by the simple increase of ever-larger floating-point numbers in a digital pleasure center, or would that fail to have the full subjective quality of happiness? If we continue to bind our pleasures to novel challenges, can we find higher levels of pleasure fast enough, without cheating? The rate at which <em>value</em> can increase as more bits are added, and the rate at which value <em>must</em> increase for eudaimonia, together determine the lifespan of a mind. If minds must use exponentially more resources over time in order to lead a eudaimonic existence, their subjective lifespan is measured in mere millennia even if they can draw on galaxy-sized resources.

=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/xl/eutopia_is_scary/ Eutopia is Scary]=====

If a citizen of the Past were dropped into the Present world, they would be pleasantly surprised along at least some dimensions; they would also be horrified, disgusted, and <em>frightened.</em> This is not because our world has gone wrong, but because it has gone right. A true Future gone <em>right</em> would, realistically, be shocking to us along at least <em>some</em> dimensions. This may help explain why most literary Utopias fail; as George Orwell observed, "they are chiefly concerned with avoiding fuss". Heavens are meant to sound like good news; political utopias are meant to show how neatly their underlying ideas work. Utopia is reassuring, unsurprising, and dull. Eutopia would be scary. (Of course the vast majority of scary things are <em>not </em>Eutopian, just entropic.) Try to imagine a <em>genuinely better</em> world in which you would be <em>out of place</em> - <em>not</em> a world that would make you smugly satisfied at how well all your current ideas had worked. This proved to be a very important exercise when I tried it; it made me realize that all my old proposals had been optimized to <em>sound safe and reassuring</em>.

=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/xm/building_weirdtopia/ Building Weirdtopia]=====

Utopia and Dystopia both confirm the moral sensibilities you started with; whether the world is a libertarian utopia of government non-interference, or a hellish dystopia of government intrusion and regulation, either way you get to say "Guess I was right all along." To break out of this mold, write down the Utopia, and the Dystopia, and then try to write down the Weirdtopia - an arguably-better world that zogs instead of zigging or zagging. (Judging from the comments, this exercise seems to have mostly failed.)

=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/xn/she_has_joined_the_conspiracy/ She has joined the Conspiracy]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/xo/justified_expectation_of_pleasant_surprises/ Justified Expectation of Pleasant Surprises]=====

A pleasant <em>surprise</em> probably has a greater hedonic impact than being told about the same positive event long in advance - hearing about the positive event is good news in the moment of first hearing, but you don't have the gift actually in hand. Then you have to wait, perhaps for a long time, possibly comparing the expected pleasure of the future to the lesser pleasure of the present. This argues that if you have a choice between a world in which the same pleasant events occur, but in the first world you are told about them long in advance, and in the second world they are kept secret until they occur, you would prefer to live in the second world. The importance of hope is widely appreciated - people who do not expect their lives to improve in the future are less likely to be happy in the present - but the importance of <em>vague</em> hope may be understated.

=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/xp/seduced_by_imagination/ Seduced by Imagination]=====

Vagueness usually has a poor name in rationality, but the Future is something about which, in fact, we do not possess strong reliable specific information. Vague (but justified!) hopes may also be <em>hedonically</em> better. But a more important caution for <em>today's</em> world is that <em>highly specific</em> pleasant scenarios can exert a dangerous power over human minds - suck out our emotional energy, make us forget what we don't know, and cause our mere actual lives to pale by comparison. (This post is not about Fun Theory proper, but it contains an important warning about how <em>not</em> to use Fun Theory.)

=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/xq/getting_nearer/ Getting Nearer]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/xr/in_praise_of_boredom/ In Praise of Boredom]=====

"Boredom" is an immensely subtle and important aspect of human values,
nowhere near as straightforward as it sounds to a human. We don't want
to get bored with breathing or with thinking. We do want to get bored
with playing the same level of the same video game over and over. We
don't want changing the shade of the pixels in the game to make it stop
counting as "the same game". We want a steady stream of novelty,
rather than spending most of our time playing the best video game level
so far discovered (over and over) and occasionally trying out a
different video game level as a new candidate for "best". These
considerations would <em>not</em> arise in most utility functions in expected utility maximizers.

=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/xs/sympathetic_minds/ Sympathetic Minds]=====

Mirror neurons are neurons that fire both when performing an action
oneself, and watching someone else perform the same action - for
example, a neuron that fires when you raise your hand or watch someone
else raise theirs. We <em>predictively</em> model other minds by
putting ourselves in their shoes, which is empathy. But some of our
desire to help relatives and friends, or be concerned with the feelings
of allies, is expressed as <em>sympathy, </em>feeling what (we believe) they feel. Like "boredom", the human form of sympathy would <em>not </em>be
expected to arise in an arbitrary expected-utility-maximizing AI. Most
such agents would regard any agents in its environment as a special
case of complex systems to be modeled or optimized; it would not <em>feel what they feel.</em>

=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/xt/interpersonal_entanglement/ Interpersonal Entanglement]=====

Our sympathy with other minds makes our interpersonal relationships one
of the most complex aspects of human existence. Romance, in
particular, is more complicated than being nice to friends and kin,
negotiating with allies, or outsmarting enemies - it contains aspects
of all three. Replacing human romance with anything <em>simpler </em>or <em>easier </em>would decrease the <em>peak complexity of the human species</em>
- a major step in the wrong direction, it seems to me. This is my
problem with proposals to give people perfect, nonsentient
sexual/romantic partners, which I usually refer to as "catgirls"
("catboys"). The human species does have a statistical sex problem:
evolution has not optimized the average man to make the average woman
happy or vice versa. But there are less sad ways to solve this problem
than both genders giving up on each other and retreating to
catgirls/catboys.

=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/xu/failed_utopia_42/ Failed Utopia #4-2]=====

A fictional short story illustrating some of the ideas in Interpersonal
Entanglement above. (Many commenters seemed to like this story, and
some said that the ideas were easier to understand in this form.)
<a href="/lw/xd/growing_up_is_hard/">Growing Up is Hard</a>:
Each piece of the human brain is optimized on the assumption that all
the other pieces are working the same way they did in the ancestral
environment. Simple neurotransmitter imbalances can result in
psychosis, and some aspects of Williams Syndrome are probably due to
having a frontal cortex that is too large relative to the rest of the
brain. Evolution creates limited robustness, but often stepping
outside the ancestral parameter box just breaks things. Even if the
first change works, the second and third changes are less likely to
work as the total parameters get less ancestral and the brain's
tolerance is used up. A cleanly designed AI might improve itself to
the point where it was smart enough to unravel and augment the human
brain. Or uploads might be able to make themselves smart enough to
solve the increasingly difficult problem of not going slowly, subtly
insane. Neither path is easy. There seems to be an irreducible
residue of danger and difficulty associated with an adult version of
humankind ever coming into being. Being a transhumanist means wanting
certain things; it doesn't mean you think those things are easy.

=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/xv/investing_for_the_long_slump/ Investing for the Long Slump]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/xw/higher_purpose/ Higher Purpose]=====

Having a Purpose in Life consistently shows up as something that increases stated well-being. Of course, the problem with trying to pick out "a Purpose in Life" in order to make yourself happier, is that this doesn't take you <em>outside</em> yourself; it's still all about <em>you.</em> To find purpose, you need to turn your eyes outward to look at the world and find things there that you care about - rather than obsessing about the wonderful spiritual benefits <em>you're</em> getting from helping others. In today's world, most of the <em>highest-priority</em> legitimate Causes consist of large groups of people in extreme jeopardy: Aging threatens the old, starvation threatens the poor, extinction risks threaten humanity as a whole. If the future goes right, many and perhaps all such problems will be solved - depleting the stream of victims to be helped. Will the future therefore consist of self-obsessed individuals, with nothing to take them outside themselves? I suggest, though, that even if there were no large groups of people in extreme jeopardy, we would still, looking around, find things outside ourselves that we cared about - friends, family; truth, freedom... Nonetheless, if the Future goes sufficiently well, there will come a time when you could search the whole of civilization, and never find a single person so much in need of help, as dozens you now pass on the street. If you do want to save someone from death, or help a great many people, then <em>act now</em>; your opportunity may not last, one way or another.

=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/xx/rationality_quotes_24/ Rationality Quotes 24]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/xy/the_fun_theory_sequence/ The Fun Theory Sequence]=====

Describes some of the many complex considerations that determine ''what sort of happiness'' we most prefer to have - given that many of us would decline to just have an electrode planted in our pleasure centers.

(alternate summary:)

describes some of the many complex considerations that determine ''what sort of happiness'' we most prefer to have - given that many of us would decline to just have an electrode planted in our pleasure centers.

=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/xz/bhtv_yudkowsky_wilkinson/ BHTV: Yudkowsky / Wilkinson]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/y0/31_laws_of_fun/ 31 Laws of Fun]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/y1/ob_status_update/ OB Status Update]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/y2/rationality_quotes_25/ Rationality Quotes 25]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/y3/value_is_fragile/ Value is Fragile]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/y4/three_worlds_collide_08/ Three Worlds Collide (0/8)]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/y5/the_babyeating_aliens_18/ The Baby-Eating Aliens (1/8)]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/y6/war_andor_peace_28/ War and/or Peace (2/8)]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/y7/the_super_happy_people_38/ The Super Happy People (3/8)]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/y8/interlude_with_the_confessor_48/ Interlude with the Confessor (4/8)]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/y9/three_worlds_decide_58/ Three Worlds Decide (5/8)]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/ya/normal_ending_last_tears_68/ Normal Ending: Last Tears (6/8)]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/yb/true_ending_sacrificial_fire_78/ True Ending: Sacrificial Fire (7/8)]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/yc/epilogue_atonement_88/ Epilogue: Atonement (8/8)]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/yd/the_thing_that_i_protect/ The Thing That I Protect]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/ye/and_say_no_more_of_it/ ...And Say No More Of It]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/yf/moral_truth_in_fiction/ (Moral) Truth in Fiction?]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/yg/informers_and_persuaders/ Informers and Persuaders]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/yh/cynicism_in_evpsych_and_econ/ Cynicism in Ev-Psych (and Econ?)]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/yi/the_evolutionarycognitive_boundary/ The Evolutionary-Cognitive Boundary]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/yj/an_especially_elegant_evpsych_experiment/ An Especially Elegant Evpsych Experiment]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/yk/rationality_quotes_26/ Rationality Quotes 26]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/yl/an_african_folktale/ An African Folktale]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/ym/cynical_about_cynicism/ Cynical About Cynicism]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/yn/good_idealistic_books_are_rare/ Good Idealistic Books are Rare]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/yo/against_maturity/ Against Maturity]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/yp/pretending_to_be_wise/ Pretending to be Wise]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/yq/wise_pretensions_v0/ Wise Pretensions v.0]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/yr/rationality_quotes_27/ Rationality Quotes 27]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/ys/fairness_vs_goodness/ Fairness vs. Goodness]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/yt/on_not_having_an_advance_abyssal_plan/ On Not Having an Advance Abyssal Plan]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1/about_less_wrong/ About Less Wrong]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/yu/formative_youth/ Formative Youth]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/2/tell_your_rationalist_origin_story/ Tell Your Rationalist Origin Story]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/yv/markets_are_antiinductive/ Markets are Anti-Inductive]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/5/issues_bugs_and_requested_features/ Issues, Bugs, and Requested Features]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/yw/tell_your_rationalist_origin_story_at_less_wrong/ Tell Your Rationalist Origin Story... at Less Wrong]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/9/the_most_important_thing_you_learned/ The Most Important Thing You Learned]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/yx/the_most_important_thing_you_learned/ The Most Important Thing You Learned]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/f/the_most_frequently_useful_thing/ The Most Frequently Useful Thing]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/yy/the_most_frequently_useful_thing/ The Most Frequently Useful Thing]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/g/that_youd_tell_all_your_friends/ That You'd Tell All Your Friends]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/h/test_your_rationality/ Test Your Rationality]=====

You should try hard and often to test your rationality, but how can you do that?

=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/m/unteachable_excellence/ Unteachable Excellence]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/j/the_costs_of_rationality/ The Costs of Rationality]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/l/teaching_the_unteachable/ Teaching the Unteachable]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/r/no_really_ive_deceived_myself/ No, Really, I've Deceived Myself]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/u/the_ethic_of_handwashing_and_community_epistemic/ The ethic of hand-washing and community epistemic practice]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/s/belief_in_selfdeception/ Belief in Self-Deception]=====

Deceiving yourself is harder than it seems. What looks like a successively adopted false belief may actually be just a [[belief in belief|belief in false belief]].

=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/b/rationality_and_positive_psychology/ Rationality and Positive Psychology]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/w/posting_now_enabled/ Posting now enabled]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/yz/posting_now_enabled_on_less_wrong/ Posting now enabled on Less Wrong]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/7/kinnairds_truels/ Kinnaird's truels]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/y/recommended_rationalist_resources/ Recommended Rationalist Resources]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/z/information_cascades/ Information cascades]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/11/is_it_rational_to_take_psilocybin/ Is it rational to take psilocybin?]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/14/does_blind_review_slow_down_science/ Does blind review slow down science?]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/15/formalization_is_a_rationality_technique/ Formalization is a rationality technique]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/18/slow_down_a_little_maybe/ Slow down a little... maybe?]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/19/checklists/ Checklists]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1b/the_golem/ The Golem]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1d/simultaneously_right_and_wrong/ Simultaneously Right and Wrong]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1f/moores_paradox/ Moore's Paradox]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1i/its_the_same_five_dollars/ It's the Same Five Dollars!]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1j/lies_and_secrets/ Lies and Secrets]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1l/the_mystery_of_the_haunted_rationalist/ The Mystery of the Haunted Rationalist]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1o/dont_believe_youll_selfdeceive/ Don't Believe You'll Self-Deceive]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1p/the_wrath_of_kahneman/ The Wrath of Kahneman]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1g/the_mistake_script/ The Mistake Script]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1s/lesswrong_antikibitzer_hides_comment_authors_and/ LessWrong anti-kibitzer (hides comment authors and vote counts)]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1u/you_may_already_be_a_sinner/ You May Already Be A Sinner]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1r/striving_to_accept/ Striving to Accept]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1y/software_tools_for_community_truthseeking/ Software tools for community truth-seeking]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1t/wanted_python_open_source_volunteers/ Wanted: Python open source volunteers]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/22/selective_processes_bring_tagalongs_but_not_always/ Selective processes bring tag-alongs (but not always!)]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/23/adversarial_system_hats/ Adversarial System Hats]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/24/beginning_at_the_beginning/ Beginning at the Beginning]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/20/the_apologist_and_the_revolutionary/ The Apologist and the Revolutionary]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1e/raising_the_sanity_waterline/ Raising the Sanity Waterline]=====

Behind every particular failure of social rationality is a larger and more general failure of social rationality; even if all religious content were deleted tomorrow from all human minds, the larger failures that permit religion would still be present.  Religion may serve the function of an asphyxiated canary in a coal mine - getting rid of the canary doesn't get rid of the gas.  Even a complete social victory for atheism would only be the beginning of the real work of rationalists.  What could you teach people without ever ''explicitly'' mentioning religion, that would raise their ''general epistemic waterline'' to the point that religion went underwater?

=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/2b/so_you_say_youre_an_altruist/ So you say you're an altruist...]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/2c/a_sense_that_more_is_possible/ A Sense That More Is Possible]=====

Why do people seem to care more about systematic methods of punching than systematic methods of thinking?

(alternate summary:) 

The art of human rationality may have not been much developed because its practitioners lack a sense that ''vastly more is possible''.  The level of expertise that most rationalists strive to develop is not on a par with the skills of a professional mathematician - more like that of a strong casual amateur.  Self-proclaimed "rationalists" don't seem to get huge amounts of personal mileage out of their craft, and no one sees a problem with this.  Yet rationalists get less systematic training in a less systematic context than a first-dan black belt gets in hitting people.

=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/2d/talking_snakes_a_cautionary_tale/ Talking Snakes: A Cautionary Tale]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/2e/boxxy_and_reagan/ Boxxy and Reagan]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/2g/dialectical_bootstrapping/ Dialectical Bootstrapping]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/2h/is_santa_real/ Is Santa Real?]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/2i/epistemic_viciousness/ Epistemic Viciousness]=====

The classic failure modes of martial arts schools transfer over as direct warnings to would-be rationalists.

(alternate summary:) 

An essay by Gillian Russell on "Epistemic Viciousness in the Martial Arts" generalizes amazingly to possible and actual problems with building a community around rationality.  Most notably the extreme dangers associated with "data poverty" - the difficulty of testing the skills in the real world.  But also such factors as the sacredness of the dojo, the investment in teachings long-practiced, the difficulty of book learning that leads into the need to trust a teacher, deference to historical masters, and above all, living in data poverty while continuing to act as if the luxury of trust is possible.

=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/25/on_the_care_and_feeding_of_young_rationalists/ On the Care and Feeding of Young Rationalists]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/2k/the_least_convenient_possible_world/ The Least Convenient Possible World]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/2l/closet_survey_1/ Closet survey #1]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/2o/soulless_morality/ Soulless morality]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/2p/the_skeptics_trilemma/ The Skeptic's Trilemma]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/2j/schools_proliferating_without_evidence/ Schools Proliferating Without Evidence]=====

The branching schools of "psychotherapy", another domain in which experimental verification was weak (nonexistent, actually), show that an aspiring craft lives or dies by the degree to which it can be tested in the real world.  In the absence of that testing, one becomes prestigious by inventing yet another school and having students, rather than excelling at any visible performance criterion.  The field of hedonic psychology (happiness studies) began, to some extent, with the realization that you could ''measure'' happiness - that there was a family of measures that by golly did validate well against each other.  The act of creating a new measurement creates new science; if it's a ''good'' measurement, you get good science.  

=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/2r/really_extreme_altruism/ Really Extreme Altruism]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/2t/storm_by_tim_minchin/ Storm by Tim Minchin]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/2s/3_levels_of_rationality_verification/ 3 Levels of Rationality Verification]=====

Reputational, experimental, and organizational: the different strengths of evidence needed to (a) prevent a school from degenerating, (b) systematically test particular techniques, or (c) credential individuals.

(alternate summary:) 

How far the craft of rationality can be taken, depends largely on what methods can be invented for verifying it.  Tests seem usefully stratifiable into ''reputational'', ''experimental'', and ''organizational''.  A "reputational" test is some real-world problem that tests the ability of a teacher or a school (like running a hedge fund, say) - "keeping it real", but without being able to break down exactly what was responsible for success.  An "experimental" test is one that can be run on each of a hundred students (such as a well-validated survey).  An "organizational" test is one that can be used to preserve the integrity of organizations by validating individuals or small groups, even in the face of strong incentives to game the test.  The strength of solution invented at each level will determine how far the craft of rationality can go in the real world.

=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/2v/the_tragedy_of_the_anticommons/ The Tragedy of the Anticommons]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/2w/are_you_a_solar_deity/ Are You a Solar Deity?]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/2x/in_what_ways_have_you_become_stronger/ In What Ways Have You Become Stronger?]=====

Brainstorming verification tests, asking along what dimensions you think you've improved due to "rationality".

=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/2z/taboo_rationality_please/ Taboo "rationality," please.]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/30/science_vs_art/ Science vs. art]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/31/what_do_we_mean_by_rationality/ What Do We Mean By "Rationality"?]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/33/comments_for_rationality/ Comments for "Rationality"]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/34/the_spot_the_fakes_test/ The "Spot the Fakes" Test]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/2q/on_juvenile_fiction/ On Juvenile Fiction]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/36/rational_me_or_we/ Rational Me or We?]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/37/dead_aid/ Dead Aid]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/39/tarski_statements_as_rationalist_exercise/ Tarski Statements as Rationalist Exercise]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/z0/the_pascals_wager_fallacy_fallacy/ The Pascal's Wager Fallacy Fallacy]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/3b/never_leave_your_room/ Never Leave Your Room]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/3c/rationalist_storybooks_a_challenge/ Rationalist Storybooks: A Challenge]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/3g/a_corpus_of_our_communitys_knowledge/ A corpus of our community's knowledge]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/3i/little_johny_bayesian/ Little Johny Bayesian]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/3k/how_to_not_lose_an_argument/ How to Not Lose an Argument]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/3l/counterfactual_mugging/ Counterfactual Mugging]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/3m/rationalist_fiction/ Rationalist Fiction]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/3s/rationalist_poetry_fans_unite/ Rationalist Poetry Fans, Unite!]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/3u/precommitting_to_paying_omega/ Precommitting to paying Omega.]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/3h/why_our_kind_cant_cooperate/ Why Our Kind Can't Cooperate]=====

The atheist/libertarian/technophile/sf-fan/early-adopter/programmer/etc crowd, aka "the nonconformist cluster", seems to be stunningly bad at coordinating group projects.  There are a number of reasons for this, but one of them is that people are as ''reluctant'' to speak ''agreement'' out loud, as they are eager to voice disagreements - the exact opposite of the situation that obtains in more cohesive and powerful communities.  This is not rational either!  It is dangerous to be half a rationalist (in general), and this also applies to teaching only disagreement but not agreement, or only lonely defiance but not coordination.  The pseudo-rationalist taboo against expressing strong feelings probably doesn't help either.

=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/3x/just_a_reminder_scientists_are_technically_people/ Just a reminder: Scientists are, technically, people.]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/3y/support_that_sounds_like_dissent/ Support That Sounds Like Dissent]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/42/tolerate_tolerance/ Tolerate Tolerance]=====

One of the likely characteristics of someone who sets out to be a "rationalist" is a lower-than-usual tolerance for flawed thinking.  This makes it very important to ''tolerate other people's tolerance'' - to avoid rejecting them ''because they tolerate people you wouldn't'' - since otherwise we must all have exactly the same standards of tolerance in order to work together, which is unlikely.  Even if someone has a nice word to say about complete lunatics and crackpots - so long as they don't literally believe the same ideas themselves - try to be nice to them?  Intolerance of tolerance corresponds to ''punishment of non-punishers'', a very dangerous game-theoretic idiom that can lock completely arbitrary systems in place even when they benefit no one at all.

=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/46/mind_control_and_me/ Mind Control and Me]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/41/individual_rationality_is_a_matter_of_life_and/ Individual Rationality Is a Matter of Life and Death]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/48/the_power_of_positivist_thinking/ The Power of Positivist Thinking]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/4b/dont_revere_the_bearer_of_good_info/ Don't Revere The Bearer Of Good Info]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/4d/youre_calling_who_a_cult_leader/ You're Calling *Who* A Cult Leader?]=====

Paul Graham gets exactly the same accusations about "cults" and "echo chambers" and "coteries" that I do, in exactly the same tone - e.g. comparing the long hours worked by Y Combinator startup founders to the sleep-deprivation tactic used in cults, or claiming that founders were asked to move to the Bay Area startup hub as a cult tactic of separation from friends and family.  This is bizarre, considering our relative surface risk factors.  It just seems to be a failure mode of the nonconformist community in general.  By far the most cultish-looking behavior on Hacker News is people trying to ''show off how willing they are to disagree with Paul Graham'', which, I can personally testify, feels really bizarre when you're the target.  Admiring someone shouldn't be so scary - I don't hold back so much when praising e.g. Douglas Hofstadter; in this world there are people who have pulled off awesome feats and it is okay to admire them highly.

=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/4e/cached_selves/ Cached Selves]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/4g/eliezer_yudkowsky_facts/ Eliezer Yudkowsky Facts]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/4h/when_truth_isnt_enough/ When Truth Isn't Enough]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/4i/bhtv_yudkowsky_adam_frank_on_religious_experience/ BHTV: Yudkowsky & Adam Frank on "religious experience"]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/4j/im_confused_could_someone_help/ I'm confused. Could someone help?]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/4o/playing_video_games_in_shuffle_mode/ Playing Video Games In Shuffle Mode]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/4q/book_psychiatry_and_the_human_condition/ Book: Psychiatry and the Human Condition]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/4u/thoughts_on_status_signals/ Thoughts on status signals]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/4w/bogus_pipeline_bona_fide_pipeline/ Bogus Pipeline, Bona Fide Pipeline]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/4y/on_things_that_are_awesome/ On Things that are Awesome]=====

Seven thoughts:  I can list more than ''one'' thing that is awesome; when I think of "Douglas Hofstadter" I am really thinking of his all-time greatest work; the greatest work is not the person; when we imagine other people we are imagining their output, so the real Douglas Hofstadter is the source of "Douglas Hofstadter"; I most strongly get the sensation of awesomeness when I see someone outdoing me overwhelmingly, at some task I've actually tried; we tend to admire unique detailed awesome things and overlook common nondetailed awesome things; religion and its bastard child "spirituality" tends to make us overlook ''human'' awesomeness.

=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/4z/hyakujos_fox/ Hyakujo's Fox]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/51/terrorism_is_not_about_terror/ Terrorism is not about Terror]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/53/the_implicit_association_test/ The Implicit Association Test]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/54/contests_vs_real_world_problems/ Contests vs. Real World Problems]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/57/the_sacred_mundane/ The Sacred Mundane]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/58/extreme_updating_the_devil_is_in_the_missing/ Extreme updating: The devil is in the missing details]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/59/spocks_dirty_little_secret/ Spock's Dirty Little Secret]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/5b/the_good_bayesian/ The Good Bayesian]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/5d/fight_biases_or_route_around_them/ Fight Biases, or Route Around Them?]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/52/why_i_fail_to_act_rationally/ Why *I* fail to act rationally]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/5h/open_thread_march_2009/ Open Thread: March 2009]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/5i/two_blegs/ Two Blegs]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/5j/your_price_for_joining/ Your Price for Joining]=====

The game-theoretical puzzle of the Ultimatum game has its reflection in a real-world dilemma:  How much do you demand that an existing group adjust toward you, before you will adjust toward it?  Our hunter-gatherer instincts will be tuned to groups of 40 with very minimal administrative demands and equal participation, meaning that we underestimate the inertia of larger and more specialized groups and demand too much before joining them.  In other groups this resistance can be overcome by affective death spirals and conformity, but rationalists think themselves too good for this - with the result that people in the nonconformist cluster often set their joining prices ''way way way'' too high, like an 50-way split with each player demanding 20% of the money.  Nonconformists need to move in the direction of joining groups more easily, even in the face of annoyances and apparent unresponsiveness.  If an issue isn't worth ''personally fixing by however much effort it takes'', it's not worth a refusal to contribute.

=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/5k/sleeping_beauty_gets_counterfactually_mugged/ Sleeping Beauty gets counterfactually mugged]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/5q/the_mind_is_not_designed_for_thinking/ The Mind Is Not Designed For Thinking]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/5r/crowley_on_religious_experience/ Crowley on Religious Experience]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/5t/can_humanism_match_religions_output/ Can Humanism Match Religion's Output?]=====

Anyone with a ''simple'' and ''obvious'' charitable project - responding with food and shelter to a tidal wave in Thailand, say - would be better off by far pleading with the Pope to mobilize the Catholics, rather than with Richard Dawkins to mobilize the atheists.  ''For so long as this is true'', any increase in atheism at the expense of Catholicism will be something of a hollow victory, regardless of all other benefits.  Can no rationalist match the motivation that comes from the irrational fear of Hell?  Or does the real story have more to do with the motivating power of ''physically meeting'' others who share your cause, and group norms of participating?

=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/5z/on_seeking_a_shortening_of_the_way/ On Seeking a Shortening of the Way]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/60/altruist_coordination_central_station/ Altruist Coordination -- Central Station]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/61/less_wrong_facebook_page/ Less Wrong Facebook Page]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/5y/the_hidden_origins_of_ideas/ The Hidden Origins of Ideas]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/62/defense_against_the_dark_arts_case_study_1/ Defense Against The Dark Arts: Case Study #1]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/5v/church_vs_taskforce/ Church vs. Taskforce]=====

Churches serve a role of providing community - but they aren't explicitly optimized for this, because their nominal role is different.  If we desire community without church, can we go one better in the course of deleting religion?  There's a great deal of work to be done in the world; rationalist communities might potentially organize themselves around good causes, while explicitly optimizing for community.

=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/3f/when_its_not_right_to_be_rational/ When It's Not Right to be Rational]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/69/the_zombie_preacher_of_somerset/ The Zombie Preacher of Somerset]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/6a/hygienic_anecdotes/ Hygienic Anecdotes]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/66/rationality_common_interest_of_many_causes/ Rationality: Common Interest of Many Causes]=====

Many causes benefit particularly from the spread of rationality - because it takes a little more rationality than usual to see their case, as a supporter, or even just a supportive bystander.  Not just the obvious causes like atheism, but things like marijuana legalization.  In the case of my own work this effect was strong enough that after years of bogging down I threw up my hands and explicitly recursed on creating rationalists.  If such causes can come to terms with ''not individually capturing all the rationalists they create'', then they can mutually benefit from mutual effort on creating rationalists.  This cooperation may require learning to shut up about disagreements between such causes, and not fight over priorities, ''except'' in specialized venues clearly marked.

=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/6d/ask_lw_what_questions_to_test_in_our_rationality/ Ask LW: What questions to test in our rationality questionnaire?]=====

Requesting suggestions for an actual survey to be run.

=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/6f/bay_area_oblw_meetup_today_sunday_march_29_at_5pm/ Bay area OB/LW meetup, today, Sunday, March 29, at 5pm]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/6c/akrasia_hyperbolic_discounting_and_picoeconomics/ Akrasia, hyperbolic discounting, and picoeconomics]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/6i/deliberate_and_spontaneous_creativity/ Deliberate and spontaneous creativity]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/6g/most_rationalists_are_elsewhere/ Most Rationalists Are Elsewhere]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/6k/framing_effects_in_anthropology/ Framing Effects in Anthropology]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/4x/kling_probability_and_economics/ Kling, Probability, and Economics]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/64/helpless_individuals/ Helpless Individuals]=====

When you consider that our grouping instincts are optimized for 50-person hunter-gatherer bands where everyone knows everyone else, it begins to seem miraculous that modern-day large institutions survive at all.  And in fact, the vast majority of large modern-day institutions simply ''fail to exist in the first place''.  This is why funding of Science is largely through money thrown at Science rather than donations from individuals - research isn't a good emotional fit for the rare problems that individuals can manage to coordinate on.  In fact very few things are, which is why e.g. 200 million adult Americans have such tremendous trouble supervising the 535 members of Congress.  Modern humanity manages to put forth very little in the way of coordinated individual effort to serve our collective individual interests.

=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/6t/the_benefits_of_rationality/ The Benefits of Rationality?]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/65/money_the_unit_of_caring/ Money: The Unit of Caring]=====

Omohundro's resource balance principle implies that the inside of any approximately rational system has a common currency of expected utilons.  In our world, this common currency is called "money" and it is the unit of how much society cares about something - a brutal yet obvious point.  Many people, seeing a good cause, would prefer to help it by donating a few volunteer hours.  But this avoids the tremendous gains of comparative advantage, professional specialization, and economies of scale - the reason we're not still in caves, the only way anything ever gets done in this world, the tools ''grownups'' use when anyone really ''cares''.  Donating hours worked within a professional specialty and paying-customer priority, whether directly, or by donating the money earned to hire other professional specialists, is far more effective than volunteering unskilled hours.

=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/6u/building_communities_vs_being_rational/ Building Communities vs. Being Rational]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/6w/degrees_of_radical_honesty/ Degrees of Radical Honesty]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/6y/introducing_cadie/ Introducing CADIE]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/6z/purchase_fuzzies_and_utilons_separately/ Purchase Fuzzies and Utilons Separately]=====

Wealthy philanthropists typically make the mistake of trying to purchase warm fuzzy feelings, status among friends, and actual utilitarian gains, simultaneously; this results in vague pushes along all three dimensions and a mediocre final result.  It should be far more effective to spend some money/effort on buying altruistic fuzzies at maximum optimized efficiency (e.g. by helping people in person and seeing the results in person), buying status at maximum efficiency (e.g. by donating to something sexy that you can brag about, regardless of effectiveness), and spending ''most'' of your money on expected utilons (chosen through sheer cold-blooded shut-up-and-multiply calculation, without worrying about status or fuzzies).

=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/70/proverbs_and_cached_judgments_the_rolling_stone/ Proverbs and Cached Judgments: the Rolling Stone]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/71/you_dont_need_kant/ You don't need Kant]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/3v/accuracy_versus_winning/ Accuracy Versus Winning]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/z1/wrong_tomorrow/ Wrong Tomorrow]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/77/selecting_rationalist_groups/ Selecting Rationalist Groups]=====

Trying to breed e.g. egg-laying chickens by individual selection can produce odd side effects on the farm level, since a more dominant hen can produce more egg mass at the ''expense of other hens''.  Group selection is nearly impossible in Nature, but easy to impose in the laboratory, and group-selecting hens produced substantial increases in efficiency.  Though most of my essays are about individual rationality - and indeed, Traditional Rationality also praises the lone heretic more than evil Authority - the real effectiveness of "rationalists" may end up determined by their performance in groups.

=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/79/aumann_voting_or_how_to_vote_when_youre_ignorant/ Aumann voting; or, How to vote when you're ignorant]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/7b/robot_scientists_can_think_for_themselves/ "Robot scientists can think for themselves"]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/7c/where_are_we/ Where are we?]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/7h/the_brooklyn_society_for_ethical_culture/ The Brooklyn Society For Ethical Culture]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/7j/open_thread_april_2009/ Open Thread: April 2009]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/7i/rationality_is_systematized_winning/ Rationality is Systematized Winning]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/z2/another_call_to_end_aid_to_africa/ Another Call to End Aid to Africa]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/7n/first_london_rationalist_meeting_upcoming/ First London Rationalist Meeting upcoming]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/7o/on_dollars_utility_and_crack_cocaine/ On dollars, utility, and crack cocaine]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/7k/incremental_progress_and_the_valley/ Incremental Progress and the Valley]=====

The optimality theorems for probability theory and decision theory, are for ''perfect'' probability theory and decision theory.  There is no theorem that incremental changes toward the ideal, starting from a flawed initial form, must yield incremental progress at each step along the way.  Since perfection is unattainable, why dare to try for improvement?  But my ''limited'' experience with ''specialized'' applications suggests that given ''enough'' progress, one can achieve ''huge'' improvements over baseline - it just takes a lot of progress to get there.

=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/7r/the_first_london_rationalist_meetup/ The First London Rationalist Meetup]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/7s/why_support_the_underdog/ Why Support the Underdog?]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/7u/offtopic_discussion_thread_april_2009/ Off-Topic Discussion Thread: April 2009]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/7x/voting_etiquette/ Voting etiquette]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/7v/formalizing_newcombs/ Formalizing Newcomb's]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/8u/supporting_the_underdog_is_explained_by_hansons/ Supporting the underdog is explained by Hanson's Near/Far distinction]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/7w/reallife_anthropic_weirdness/ Real-Life Anthropic Weirdness]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/8v/rationalist_wiki/ Rationalist Wiki]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/8w/rationality_toughness_tests/ Rationality Toughness Tests]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/8y/heuristic_is_not_a_bad_word/ Heuristic is not a bad word]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/8z/rationalists_should_beware_rationalism/ Rationalists should beware rationalism]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/90/newcombs_problem_standard_positions/ Newcomb's Problem standard positions]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/91/average_utilitarianism_must_be_correct/ Average utilitarianism must be correct?]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/93/rationalist_wiki_redux/ Rationalist wiki, redux]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/95/what_do_fellow_rationalists_think_about_mensa/ What do fellow rationalists think about Mensa?]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/92/extenuating_circumstances/ Extenuating Circumstances]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/97/on_comments_voting_and_karma_part_i/ On Comments, Voting, and Karma - Part I]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/6r/newcombs_problem_vs_oneshot_prisoners_dilemma/ Newcomb's Problem vs. One-Shot Prisoner's Dilemma]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/98/what_isnt_the_wiki_for/ What isn't the wiki for?]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/99/eternal_sunshine_of_the_rational_mind/ Eternal Sunshine of the Rational Mind]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/9a/of_lies_and_black_swan_blowups/ Of Lies and Black Swan Blowups]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/8t/whiningbased_communities/ Whining-Based Communities]=====

Many communities feed emotional needs by offering their members someone or something to blame for failure - say, those looters who don't approve of your excellence.  You can easily imagine some group of "rationalists" congratulating themselves on how ''reasonable'' they were, while blaming the surrounding ''unreasonable'' society for keeping them down.  But this is not how real rationality works - there's no assumption that other agents are rational.  We all face unfair tests (and yes, they are unfair to different degrees for different people); and how well you do with ''your'' unfair tests, is the test of ''your'' existence.  Rationality is there to help you ''win anyway'', not to provide a self-handicapping excuse for losing.  There are no first-person extenuating circumstances.  There is ''absolutely no point'' in going down the road of mutual bitterness and consolation, about ''anything'', ''ever''.

=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/9b/help_help_im_being_oppressed/ Help, help, I'm being oppressed!]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/9d/zerobased_karma_coming_through/ Zero-based karma coming through]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/9g/eprime/ E-Prime]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/9c/mandatory_secret_identities/ Mandatory Secret Identities]=====

This post was not well-received, but the point was to suggest that a student must at some point leave the dojo and test their skills in the real world.  ''The aspiration of an excellent student should not consist primarily of founding their own dojo and having their own students.''

=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/3j/rationality_cryonics_and_pascals_wager/ Rationality, Cryonics and Pascal's Wager]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/9k/less_wrong_irc_meetup/ Less Wrong IRC Meetup]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/9o/stuck_in_the_middle_with_bruce/ "Stuck In The Middle With Bruce"]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/9p/extreme_rationality_its_not_that_great/ Extreme Rationality: It's Not That Great]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/9r/playing_to_win/ "Playing to Win"]=====

The term "playing to win" comes from Sirlin's book and can be described as using every means necessary to win as long as those means are legal within the structure of the game being played.

=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/9u/secret_identities_vs_groupthink/ Secret Identities vs. Groupthink]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/9w/silver_chairs_paternalism_and_akrasia/ Silver Chairs, Paternalism, and Akrasia]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/9t/extreme_rationality_it_could_be_great/ Extreme Rationality: It Could Be Great]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/9n/the_uniquely_awful_example_of_theism/ The uniquely awful example of theism]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/9v/beware_of_otheroptimizing/ Beware of Other-Optimizing]=====

Aspiring rationalists often vastly overestimate their own ability to optimize other people's lives.  They read nineteen webpages offering productivity advice that doesn't work for them... and then encounter the twentieth page, or invent a new method themselves, and ''wow, it really works'' - they've discovered the ''true method''.  Actually, they've just discovered the one method in twenty that works for ''them'', and their confident advice is no better than randomly selecting one of the twenty blog posts.  Other-Optimizing is exceptionally dangerous when you have power over the other person - for then you'll just believe that they ''aren't trying hard enough''.

=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/a3/how_theism_works/ How theism works]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/a4/that_crisis_thing_seems_pretty_useful/ That Crisis thing seems pretty useful]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/aa/spay_or_neuter_your_irrationalities/ Spay or Neuter Your Irrationalities]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/a6/the_unfinished_mystery_of_the_shangrila_diet/ The Unfinished Mystery of the Shangri-La Diet]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/ab/akrasia_and_shangrila/ Akrasia and Shangri-La]=====

The Shangri-La diet works amazingly well for some people, but completely fails for others, for no known reason.  Since the diet has a metabolic rationale and is not ''supposed'' to require willpower, its failure in my and other cases is unambigiously mysterious.  If it required a component of willpower, then I and others might be tempted to blame myself for not having willpower.  The art of combating akrasia (willpower failure) has the same sort of mysteries and is in the same primitive state; we don't know the deeper rule that explains why a trick works for one person but not another.

=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/ad/maybe_theism_is_ok/ Maybe Theism Is OK]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/9x/metauncertainty/ Metauncertainty]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/ac/is_masochism_necessary/ Is masochism necessary?]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/af/missed_distinctions/ Missed Distinctions]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/ah/toxic_truth/ Toxic Truth]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/aj/too_much_feedback_can_be_a_bad_thing/ Too much feedback can be a bad thing]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/ak/twelve_virtues_booklet_printing/ Twelve Virtues booklet printing?]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/aq/how_much_thought/ How Much Thought]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/ar/awful_austrians/ Awful Austrians]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/at/sunk_cost_fallacy/ Sunk Cost Fallacy]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/aw/its_okay_to_be_at_least_a_little_irrational/ It's okay to be (at least a little) irrational]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/ay/marketing_rationalism/ Marketing rationalism]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/9j/bystander_apathy/ Bystander Apathy]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/b1/persuasiveness_vs_soundness/ Persuasiveness vs Soundness]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/b2/declare_your_signaling_and_hidden_agendas/ Declare your signaling and hidden agendas]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/b3/groupthink_theism_and_the_wiki/ GroupThink, Theism ... and the Wiki]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/9m/collective_apathy_and_the_internet/ Collective Apathy and the Internet]=====

The causes of bystander apathy are even worse on the Internet.  There may be an opportunity here for a startup to deliberately try to avert bystander apathy in online group coordination.

=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/ao/tell_it_to_someone_who_doesnt_care/ Tell it to someone who doesn't care]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/5f/bayesians_vs_barbarians/ Bayesians vs. Barbarians]=====

Suppose that a country of rationalists is attacked by a country of Evil Barbarians who know nothing of probability theory or decision theory.  There's a certain concept of "rationality" which says that the rationalists inevitably lose, because the Barbarians believe in a heavenly afterlife if they die in battle, while the rationalists would all individually prefer to stay out of harm's way.  So the rationalist civilization is doomed; it is too elegant and civilized to fight the savage Barbarians...  And then there's the idea that rationalists should be able to (a) solve group coordination problems, (b) care a lot about other people and (c) win...

=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/b7/actions_and_words_akrasia_and_the_fruit_of/ Actions and Words: Akrasia and the Fruit of Self-Knowledge]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/63/mechanics_without_wrenches/ Mechanics without wrenches]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/b8/i_changed_my_mind_today_canned_laughter/ I Changed My Mind Today - Canned Laughter]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/ap/of_gender_and_rationality/ Of Gender and Rationality]=====

Analysis of the gender imbalance that appears in "rationalist" communities, suggesting nine possible causes of the effect, and possible corresponding solutions.

=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/b9/welcome_to_less_wrong/ Welcome to Less Wrong!]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/bg/instrumental_rationality_is_a_chimera/ Instrumental Rationality is a Chimera]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/bf/practical_rationality_questionnaire/ Practical rationality questionnaire]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/bd/my_way/ My Way]=====

I sometimes think of myself as being like the protagonist in a classic SF labyrinth story, wandering further and further into some alien artifact, trying to radio back a description of what I'm seeing, so that I can be followed.  But what I'm finding is not just ''the'' Way, the thing that lies at the center of the labyrinth; it is also ''my'' Way, the path that I would take to come closer to the center, from whatever place I started out.  And yet there is still a common thing we are all trying to find.  We should be aware that others' shortest paths may not be the ''same'' as our own, but this is not the same as giving up the ability to judge ''or'' to share.

=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/bj/the_art_of_critical_decision_making/ The Art of Critical Decision Making]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/bk/the_trouble_with_good/ The Trouble With "Good"]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/bl/while_were_on_the_subject_of_metaethics/ While we're on the subject of meta-ethics...]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/ba/chomsky_on_reason_and_science/ Chomsky on reason and science]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/b0/antirationality_quotes/ Anti-rationality quotes]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/bn/twotier_rationalism/ Two-Tier Rationalism]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/bo/my_main_problem_with_utilitarianism/ My main problem with utilitarianism]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/br/just_for_fun_lets_play_a_game/ Just for fun - let's play a game.]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/bs/rationality_quotes_april_2009/ Rationality Quotes - April 2009]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/9z/the_epistemic_prisoners_dilemma/ The Epistemic Prisoner's Dilemma]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/am/how_a_pathological_procrastinor_can_lose_weight/ How a pathological procrastinor can lose weight (Anti-akrasia)]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/bw/atheist_or_agnostic/ Atheist or Agnostic?]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/bx/great_books_of_failure/ Great Books of Failure]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/by/weekly_wiki_workshop_and_suggested_articles/ Weekly Wiki Workshop and suggested articles]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/bt/the_true_epistemic_prisoners_dilemma/ The True Epistemic Prisoner's Dilemma]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/bz/spreading_the_word/ Spreading the word?]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/c0/the_ideas_youre_not_ready_to_post/ The ideas you're not ready to post]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/au/evangelical_rationality/ Evangelical Rationality]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/c3/the_sin_of_underconfidence/ The Sin of Underconfidence]=====

When subjects know about a bias or are warned about a bias, ''overcorrection'' is not unheard of as an experimental result.  That's what makes a lot of cognitive subtasks so troublesome - you know you're biased but you're not sure how much, and if you keep tweaking you may overcorrect.  The danger of underconfidence (overcorrecting for overconfidence) is that you pass up opportunities on which you could have been successful; not challenging difficult enough problems; losing forward momentum and adopting defensive postures; refusing to put the ''hypothesis'' of your inability to the test; losing enough hope of triumph to try ''hard'' enough to win.  You should ask yourself "Does this way of thinking make me stronger, or weaker?"

=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/c6/masochism_vs_selfdefeat/ Masochism vs. Self-defeat]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/c1/wellkept_gardens_die_by_pacifism/ Well-Kept Gardens Die By Pacifism]=====

Good online communities die primarily by refusing to defend themselves, and so it has been since the days of Eternal September.  Anyone acculturated by academia knows that ''censorship'' is a very grave sin... in their walled gardens where it costs thousands and thousands of dollars to enter.  A community with internal politics will treat any attempt to impose moderation as a coup attempt (since internal politics seem of far greater import than invading barbarians).  In rationalist communities this is probably an instance of underconfidence - mildly competent moderators are probably quite trustworthy to wield the banhammer.  On Less Wrong, the community is the moderator (via karma) and you will need to trust ''yourselves'' enough to wield the power and keep the garden clear.

=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/ce/uc_santa_barbara_rationalists_unite_saturday_6pm/ UC Santa Barbara Rationalists Unite - Saturday, 6PM]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/cf/lesswrong_boo_vote_stochastic_downvoting/ LessWrong Boo Vote (Stochastic Downvoting)]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/cg/proposal_use_the_wiki_for_concepts/ Proposal: Use the Wiki for Concepts]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/ci/escaping_your_past/ Escaping Your Past]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/c4/go_forth_and_create_the_art/ Go Forth and Create the Art!]=====

I've developed primarily the art of epistemic rationality, in particular, the arts required for advanced cognitive reductionism... arts like distinguishing fake explanations from real ones and avoiding affective death spirals.  There is much else that needs developing to create a craft of rationality - fighting akrasia; coordinating groups; teaching, training, verification, and becoming a proper experimental science; developing better introductory literature...  And yet it seems to me that there is a beginning barrier to surpass before you can ''start'' creating high-quality craft of rationality, having to do with virtually everyone who tries to think lofty thoughts going instantly astray, or indeed even realizing that a craft of rationality exists and that you ought to be studying cognitive science literature to create it.  It's my hope that my writings, as partial as they are, will serve to surpass this initial barrier.  The rest I leave to you.

=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/co/fix_it_and_tell_us_what_you_did/ Fix it and tell us what you did]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/cp/this_didnt_have_to_happen/ This Didn't Have To Happen]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/cr/just_a_bit_of_humor/ Just a bit of humor...]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/cx/whats_in_a_name_that_which_we_call_a_rationalist/ What's in a name? That which we call a rationalist...]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/cy/rational_groups_kick_ass/ Rational Groups Kick Ass]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/cn/instrumental_vs_epistemic_a_bardic_perspective/ Instrumental vs. Epistemic -- A Bardic Perspective]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/cw/programmatic_prediction_markets/ Programmatic Prediction markets]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/d2/cached_procrastination/ Cached Procrastination]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/d4/practical_advice_backed_by_deep_theories/ Practical Advice Backed By Deep Theories]=====

Knowledge of this heuristic ''might'' be useful in fighting [[akrasia]].

(alternate summary:) 

Practical advice is genuinely much, much more useful when it's backed up by concrete experimental results, causal models that are actually true, or valid math that is validly interpreted.  (Listed in increasing order of difficulty.)  Stripping out the theories and giving the mere advice alone wouldn't have nearly the same impact or even the same message; and oddly enough, translating experiments and math into practical advice seems to be a rare niche activity relative to academia.  If there's a distinctive LW style, this is it.

=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/d9/selfpretending_is_not_as_useful_as_we_think/ "Self-pretending" is not as useful as we think]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/da/wheres_your_sense_of_mystery/ Where's Your Sense of Mystery?]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/d3/less_meta/ Less Meta]=====

The fact that this final series was on the craft and the community seems to have delivered a push in something of the wrong direction, (a) steering toward conversation about conversation and (b) making present accomplishment pale in the light of grander dreams.  Time to go back to practical advice and deep theories, then.

=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/d7/siai_call_for_skilled_volunteers_and_potential/ SIAI call for skilled volunteers and potential interns]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/cz/the_craft_and_the_community/ The Craft and the Community]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/de/excuse_me_would_you_like_to_take_a_survey/ Excuse me, would you like to take a survey?]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/df/should_we_be_biased/ Should we be biased?]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/dg/theism_wednesday_and_not_being_adopted/ Theism, Wednesday, and Not Being Adopted]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/d6/the_end_of_sequences/ The End (of Sequences)]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/cl/final_words/ Final Words]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/di/bayesian_cabaret/ Bayesian Cabaret]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/dl/verbal_overshadowing_and_the_art_of_rationality/ Verbal Overshadowing and The Art of Rationality]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/dk/how_not_to_be_stupid_starting_up/ How Not to be Stupid: Starting Up]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/dm/how_not_to_be_stupid_know_what_you_want_what_you/ How Not to be Stupid: Know What You Want, What You Really Really Want]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/dn/epistemic_vs_instrumental_rationality/ Epistemic vs. Instrumental Rationality: Approximations]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/dj/what_is_control_theory_and_why_do_you_need_to/ What is control theory, and why do you need to know about it?]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/do/reformalizing_pd/ Re-formalizing PD]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/dr/generalizing_from_one_example/ Generalizing From One Example]=====

Generalization From One Example is a tendency to pay too much attention to the few anecdotal pieces of evidence you experienced, and model some general phenomenon based on them. This is a special case of availability bias, and the way in which the mistake unfolds is closely related to the correspondence bias and the hindsight bias.

=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/dv/wednesday_depends_on_us/ Wednesday depends on us.]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/dx/how_to_come_up_with_verbal_probabilities/ How to come up with verbal probabilities]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/dp/fighting_akrasia_incentivising_action/ Fighting Akrasia: Incentivising Action]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/d0/fire_and_motion/ Fire and Motion]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/dz/fiction_of_interest/ Fiction of interest]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/dy/how_not_to_be_stupid_adorable_maybes/ How Not to be Stupid: Adorable Maybes]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/cc/rationalistic_losing/ Rationalistic Losing]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/e5/rationalist_role_in_the_information_age/ Rationalist Role in the Information Age]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/e6/conventions_and_confusing_continuity_conundrums/ Conventions and Confusing Continuity Conundrums]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/eb/open_thread_may_2009/ Open Thread: May 2009]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/ec/second_london_rationalist_meeting_upcoming_sunday/ Second London Rationalist Meeting upcoming - Sunday 14:00]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/b5/ted_talks_for_less_wrong/ TED Talks for Less Wrong]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/ee/the_mindkiller/ The mind-killer]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/eg/what_i_tell_you_three_times_is_true/ What I Tell You Three Times Is True]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/eh/return_of_the_survey/ Return of the Survey]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/ei/essayquestion_poll_dietary_choices/ Essay-Question Poll: Dietary Choices]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/ej/allais_hack_transform_your_decisions/ Allais Hack -- Transform Your Decisions!]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/ek/without_models/ Without models]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/em/bead_jar_guesses/ Bead Jar Guesses]=====

Applied scenario about forming priors.

=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/eo/special_status_needs_special_support/ Special Status Needs Special Support]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/eq/how_david_beats_goliath/ How David Beats Goliath]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/es/how_to_use_philosophical_majoritarianism/ How to use "philosophical majoritarianism"]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/eu/off_topic_thread_may_2009/ Off Topic Thread: May 2009]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/ev/introduction_thread_may_2009/ Introduction Thread: May 2009]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/ex/consider_representative_data_sets/ Consider Representative Data Sets]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/ew/no_universal_probability_space/ No Universal Probability Space]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/ey/wikilesswrongcom_is_live/ Wiki.lesswrong.com Is Live]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/f0/hardened_problems_make_brittle_models/ Hardened Problems Make Brittle Models]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/f1/beware_trivial_inconveniences/ Beware Trivial Inconveniences]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/f2/on_the_fence_major_in_cs/ On the Fence? Major in CS]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/f4/rationality_is_winning_or_is_it/ Rationality is winning - or is it?]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/f5/the_first_koan_drinking_the_hot_iron_ball/ The First Koan: Drinking the Hot Iron Ball]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/f6/epistemic_vs_instrumental_rationality_case_of_the/ Epistemic vs. Instrumental Rationality: Case of the Leaky Agent]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/9h/replaying_history/ Replaying History]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/f8/framing_consciousness/ Framing Consciousness]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/f9/a_request_for_open_problems/ A Request for Open Problems]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/et/how_not_to_be_stupid_brewing_a_nice_cup_of/ How Not to be Stupid: Brewing a Nice Cup of Utilitea]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/fb/step_back/ Step Back]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/fc/you_are_a_brain/ You Are A Brain]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/fg/no_one_knows_stuff/ No One Knows Stuff]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/fh/willpower_hax_487_execute_by_default/ Willpower Hax #487: Execute by Default]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/fj/rationality_in_the_media_dont_new_yorker_may_2009/ Rationality in the Media: Don't (New Yorker, May 2009)]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/fk/survey_results/ Survey Results]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/fm/a_parable_on_obsolete_ideologies/ A Parable On Obsolete Ideologies]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/fn/openmindedness_the_video/ "Open-Mindedness" - the video]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/fo/religion_mystery_and_warm_soft_fuzzies/ Religion, Mystery, and Warm, Soft Fuzzies]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/fp/cheerios_an_untested_new_drug/ Cheerios: An "Untested New Drug"]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/fq/essayquestion_poll_voting/ Essay-Question Poll: Voting]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/fs/outward_change_drives_inward_change/ Outward Change Drives Inward Change]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/fu/share_your_antiakrasia_tricks/ Share Your Anti-Akrasia Tricks]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/fv/wanting_to_want/ Wanting to Want]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/fy/what_is_wrong_with_our_thoughts/ "What Is Wrong With Our Thoughts"]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/e0/bad_reasons_for_a_rationalist_to_lose/ Bad reasons for a rationalist to lose]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/fz/supernatural_math/ Supernatural Math]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/g1/rationality_quotes_may_2009/ Rationality quotes - May 2009]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/g2/positive_bias_test_c_program/ Positive Bias Test (C++ program)]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/g3/catchy_fallacy_name_fallacy_and_supporting/ Catchy Fallacy Name Fallacy (and Supporting Disagreement)]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/g5/inhibition_and_the_mind/ Inhibition and the Mind]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/g7/least_signaling_activities/ Least Signaling Activities?]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/g8/bruteforce_music_composition/ Brute-force Music Composition]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/g9/changing_accepted_public_opinion_and_skynet/ Changing accepted public opinion and Skynet]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/gb/homogeneity_vs_heterogeneity_or_what_kind_of_sex/ Homogeneity vs. heterogeneity (or, What kind of sex is most moral?)]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/gf/saturation_distillation_improvisation_a_story/ Saturation, Distillation, Improvisation: A Story About Procedural Knowledge And Cookies]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/gg/this_failing_earth/ This Failing Earth]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/gh/the_wire_versus_evolutionary_psychology/ The Wire versus Evolutionary Psychology]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/gi/dissenting_views/ Dissenting Views]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/gl/eric_drexler_on_learning_about_everything/ Eric Drexler on Learning About Everything]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/gm/anime_explains_the_epimenides_paradox/ Anime Explains the Epimenides Paradox]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/z4/do_fandoms_need_awfulness/ Do Fandoms Need Awfulness?]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/z5/can_we_create_a_function_that_provably_predicts/ Can we create a function that provably predicts the optimization power of intelligences?]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/z6/link_the_case_for_working_with_your_hands/ Link: The Case for Working With Your Hands]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/z8/image_vs_impact_can_public_commitment_be/ Image vs. Impact: Can public commitment be counterproductive for achievement?]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/za/a_social_norm_against_unjustified_opinions/ A social norm against unjustified opinions?]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/zc/taking_occam_seriously/ Taking Occam Seriously]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/zf/the_onion_goes_inside_the_biased_mind/ The Onion Goes Inside The Biased Mind]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/gj/the_frontal_syndrome/ The Frontal Syndrome]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/zj/open_thread_june_2009/ Open Thread: June 2009]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/zh/concrete_vs_contextual_values/ Concrete vs Contextual values]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/gd/bioconservative_and_biomoderate_singularitarian/ Bioconservative and biomoderate singularitarian positions]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/zn/would_you_slap_your_father_article_linkage_and/ Would You Slap Your Father? Article Linkage and Discussion]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/zo/with_whom_shall_i_diavlog/ With whom shall I diavlog?]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/zt/mate_selection_for_the_men_here/ Mate selection for the men here]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/zu/third_london_rationalist_meeting/ Third London Rationalist Meeting]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/zv/post_your_utility_function/ Post Your Utility Function]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/zw/probability_distributions_and_writing_style/ Probability distributions and writing style]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/zx/my_concerns_about_the_term_rationalist/ My concerns about the term 'rationalist']=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/101/honesty_beyond_internal_truth/ Honesty: Beyond Internal Truth]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/103/macroeconomics_the_lucas_critique/ Macroeconomics, The Lucas Critique, Microfoundations, and Modeling in General]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/102/indexical_uncertainty_and_the_axiom_of/ indexical uncertainty and the Axiom of Independence]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/106/london_rationalist_meetups_bikeshed_painting/ London Rationalist Meetups bikeshed painting thread]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/109/the_aumanns_agreement_theorem_game_guess_23_of/ The Aumann's agreement theorem game (guess 2/3 of the average)]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/105/expected_futility_for_humans/ Expected futility for humans]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/10a/you_cant_believe_in_bayes/ You can't believe in Bayes]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/10c/less_wrong_economic_policy/ Less wrong economic policy]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/10f/the_terrible_horrible_no_good_very_bad_truth/ The Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Truth About Morality and What To Do About It]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/10g/lets_reimplement_eurisko/ Let's reimplement EURISKO!]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/10h/if_it_looks_like_utility_maximizer_and_quacks/ If it looks like utility maximizer and quacks like utility maximizer...]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/10j/typical_mind_and_politics/ Typical Mind and Politics]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/10n/why_safety_is_not_safe/ Why safety is not safe]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/10o/rationality_quotes_june_2009/ Rationality Quotes - June 2009]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/f3/readiness_heuristics/ Readiness Heuristics]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/10q/the_two_meanings_of_mathematical_terms/ The two meanings of mathematical terms]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/zr/the_laws_of_magic/ The Laws of Magic]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/10l/intelligence_enhancement_as_existential_risk/ Intelligence enhancement as existential risk mitigation]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/10s/rationalists_lose_when_others_choose/ Rationalists lose when others choose]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/10u/ask_lesswrong_human_cognitive_enhancement_now/ Ask LessWrong: Human cognitive enhancement now?]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/10v/dont_count_your_chickens/ Don't Count Your Chickens...]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/ep/applied_picoeconomics/ Applied Picoeconomics]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/10w/representative_democracy_awesomeness_hypothesis/ Representative democracy awesomeness hypothesis]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/10x/the_physiology_of_willpower/ The Physiology of Willpower]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/10y/time_to_see_if_we_can_apply_anything_we_have/ Time to See If We Can Apply Anything We Have Learned]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/10z/cascio_in_the_atlantic_more_on_cognitive/ Cascio in The Atlantic, more on cognitive enhancement as existential risk mitigation]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/113/esrs_comments_on_some_eyoblw_posts/ ESR's comments on some EY:OB/LW posts]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/114/nonparametric_ethics/ Nonparametric Ethics]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/115/shane_legg_on_prospect_theory_and_computational/ Shane Legg on prospect theory and computational finance]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/116/the_domain_of_your_utility_function/ The Domain of Your Utility Function]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/118/the_monty_maul_problem/ The Monty Maul Problem]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/111/guilt_by_association/ Guilt by Association]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/11b/lie_to_me/ Lie to me?]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/11c/richard_dawkins_tv_baloney_detection_kit_video/ Richard Dawkins TV - Baloney Detection Kit video]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/11e/coming_out/ Coming Out]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/11f/the_great_brain_is_located_externally/ The Great Brain is Located Externally]=====

People don't actually remember much of what they know, they only remember how to find it, and the fact that there is something to find. Thus, it's important to know ''about'' what's known in various domains, even without knowing the content.

=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/11h/controlling_your_inner_control_circuits/ Controlling your inner control circuits]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/11k/whats_in_a_name/ What's In A Name?]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/11m/atheism_untheism_antitheism/ Atheism = Untheism + Antitheism]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/11p/book_review_complications/ Book Review: Complications]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/11q/open_thread_july_2009/ Open Thread: July 2009]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/11n/fourth_london_rationalist_meeting/ Fourth London Rationalist Meeting?]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/11r/rationality_quotes_july_2009/ Rationality Quotes - July 2009]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/zz/harnessing_your_biases/ Harnessing Your Biases]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/11u/avoiding_failure_fallacy_finding/ Avoiding Failure: Fallacy Finding]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/11y/not_technically_lying/ Not Technically Lying]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/120/the_enemy_within/ The enemy within]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/121/media_bias/ Media bias]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/122/can_chess_be_a_game_of_luck/ Can chess be a game of luck?]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/ef/the_dangers_of_partial_knowledge_of_the_way/ The Dangers of Partial Knowledge of the Way: Failing in School]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/127/an_interesting_speed_dating_study/ An interesting speed dating study]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/129/can_selfhelp_be_bad_for_you/ Can self-help be bad for you?]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/12a/causality_does_not_imply_correlation/ Causality does not imply correlation]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/12d/recommended_reading_for_new_rationalists/ Recommended reading for new rationalists]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/12e/formalized_math_dream_vs_reality/ Formalized math: dream vs reality]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/12f/causation_as_bias_sort_of/ Causation as Bias (sort of)]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/12j/debate_is_short_term_planning_in_humans_due_to_a/ Debate: Is short term planning in humans due to a short life or due to bias?]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/12m/jul_12_bay_area_meetup_hanson_vassar_yudkowsky/ Jul 12 Bay Area meetup - Hanson, Vassar, Yudkowsky]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/12h/our_society_lacks_good_selfpreservation_mechanisms/ Our society lacks good self-preservation mechanisms]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/12q/good_quality_heuristics/ Good Quality Heuristics]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/12r/how_likely_is_a_failure_of_nuclear_deterrence/ How likely is a failure of nuclear deterrence?]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/12s/the_strangest_thing_an_ai_could_tell_you/ The Strangest Thing An AI Could Tell You]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/12t/sex_is_always_well_worth_its_twofold_cost/ "Sex Is Always Well Worth Its Two-Fold Cost"]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/12u/the_dirt_on_depression/ The Dirt on Depression]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/12v/fair_division_of_blackhole_negentropy_an/ Fair Division of Black-Hole Negentropy: an Introduction to Cooperative Game Theory]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/12w/absolute_denial_for_atheists/ Absolute denial for atheists]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/12x/causes_of_disagreements/ Causes of disagreements]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/12y/the_popularization_bias/ The Popularization Bias]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/12z/zwickys_trifecta_of_illusions/ Zwicky's Trifecta of Illusions]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/132/are_you_anosognosic/ Are You Anosognosic?]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/133/article_upvoting/ Article upvoting]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/134/sayeth_the_girl/ Sayeth the Girl]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/135/timeless_decision_theory_problems_i_cant_solve/ Timeless Decision Theory: Problems I Can't Solve]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/136/an_akrasia_anecdote/ An Akrasia Anecdote]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/139/being_saner_about_gender_and_rationality/ Being saner about gender and rationality]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/13a/are_you_crazy/ Are you crazy?]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/7a/counterfactual_mugging_v_subjective_probability/ Counterfactual Mugging v. Subjective Probability]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/13f/creating_the_simple_math_of_everything/ Creating The Simple Math of Everything]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/138/joint_distributions_and_the_slow_spread_of_good/ Joint Distributions and the Slow Spread of Good Ideas]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/13h/chomsky_sports_talk_radio_media_bias_and_me/ Chomsky, Sports Talk Radio, Media Bias, and Me]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/13g/outside_analysis_and_blind_spots/ Outside Analysis and Blind Spots]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/13i/shut_up_and_guess/ Shut Up And Guess]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/13j/of_exclusionary_speech_and_gender_politics/ Of Exclusionary Speech and Gender Politics]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/13k/missing_the_trees_for_the_forest/ Missing the Trees for the Forest]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/13n/deciding_on_our_rationality_focus/ Deciding on our rationality focus]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/13o/fairness_and_geometry/ Fairness and Geometry]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/12c/its_all_in_your_headland/ It's all in your head-land]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/13p/an_observation_on_cryocrastination/ An observation on cryocrastination]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/ff/the_price_of_integrity/ The Price of Integrity]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/13r/are_calibration_and_rational_decisions_mutually/ Are calibration and rational decisions mutually exclusive? (Part one)]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/13s/the_nature_of_offense/ The Nature of Offense]=====

People are [[offense|offended]] by grabs for status.

=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/13t/andrewhs_observation_and_opportunity_costs/ AndrewH's observation and opportunity costs]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/13v/are_calibration_and_rational_decisions_mutually/ Are calibration and rational decisions mutually exclusive? (Part two)]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/13z/celebrate_trivial_impetuses/ Celebrate Trivial Impetuses]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/13y/freaky_fairness/ Freaky Fairness]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/143/link_interview_with_vladimir_vapnik/ Link: Interview with Vladimir Vapnik]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/144/five_stages_of_idolatry/ Five Stages of Idolatry]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/147/bayesian_flame/ Bayesian Flame]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/146/the_second_best/ The Second Best]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/148/bayesian_utility_representing_preference_by/ Bayesian Utility: Representing Preference by Probability Measures]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/12o/the_trolley_problem_in_popular_culture_torchwood/ The Trolley Problem in popular culture: Torchwood Series 3]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/14a/thomas_c_schellings_strategy_of_conflict/ Thomas C. Schelling's "Strategy of Conflict"]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/14b/information_cascades_in_scientific_practice/ Information cascades in scientific practice]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/14c/the_obesity_myth/ The Obesity Myth]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/14h/the_hero_with_a_thousand_chances/ The Hero With A Thousand Chances]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/14i/pract_a_guessing_and_testing_game/ Pract: A Guessing and Testing Game]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/14d/an_alternative_approach_to_ai_cooperation/ An Alternative Approach to AI Cooperation]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/14m/open_thread_august_2009/ Open Thread: August 2009]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/14n/pain/ Pain]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/14o/suffering/ Suffering]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/14q/why_youre_stuck_in_a_narrative/ Why You're Stuck in a Narrative]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/14r/unspeakable_morality/ Unspeakable Morality]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/14s/the_difficulties_of_potential_people_and_decision/ The Difficulties of Potential People and Decision Making]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/14u/wits_and_wagers/ Wits and Wagers]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/14v/the_usefulness_of_correlations/ The usefulness of correlations]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/14w/she_blinded_me_with_science/ She Blinded Me With Science]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/14x/the_machine_learning_personality_test/ The Machine Learning Personality Test]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/14z/a_normative_rule_for_decisionchanging_metrics/ A Normative Rule for Decision-Changing Metrics]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/151/recommended_reading_george_orwell_on_knowledge/ Recommended reading: George Orwell on knowledge from authority]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/152/rationality_quotes_august_2009/ Rationality Quotes - August 2009]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/154/why_real_men_wear_pink/ Why Real Men Wear Pink]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/150/the_objective_bayesian_programme/ The Objective Bayesian Programme]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/153/lwob_rationality_quotes_august_2009/ LW/OB Rationality Quotes - August 2009]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/108/exterminating_life_is_rational/ Exterminating life is rational]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/156/robin_hansons_lists_of_overcoming_bias_posts/ Robin Hanson's lists of Overcoming Bias Posts]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/e9/fighting_akrasia_finding_the_source/ Fighting Akrasia: Finding the Source]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/15a/a_note_on_hypotheticals/ A note on hypotheticals]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/13b/dreams_with_damaged_priors/ Dreams with Damaged Priors]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/15c/would_your_real_preferences_please_stand_up/ Would Your Real Preferences Please Stand Up?]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/15d/calibration_fail/ Calibration fail]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/15e/guess_again/ Guess Again]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/15f/misleading_the_witness/ Misleading the witness]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/15h/utilons_vs_hedons/ Utilons vs. Hedons]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/15k/deleting_paradoxes_with_fuzzy_logic/ Deleting paradoxes with fuzzy logic]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/15n/sense_denotation_and_semantics/ Sense, Denotation and Semantics]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/15m/towards_a_new_decision_theory/ Towards a New Decision Theory]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/15q/fighting_akrasia_survey_design_help_request/ Fighting Akrasia: Survey Design Help Request]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/15r/minds_that_make_optimal_use_of_small_amounts_of/ Minds that make optimal use of small amounts of sensory data]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/15t/bloggingheads_yudkowsky_and_aaronson_talk_about/ Bloggingheads: Yudkowsky and Aaronson talk about AI and Many-worlds]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/15u/oh_my_god_its_full_of_nash_equilibria/ Oh my God! It's full of Nash equilibria!]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/15v/happiness_is_a_heuristic/ Happiness is a Heuristic]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/15w/experiential_pica/ Experiential Pica]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/15x/friendlier_ai_through_politics/ Friendlier AI through politics]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/15p/singularity_summit_2009_quick_post/ Singularity Summit 2009 (quick post)]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/161/scott_aaronsons_on_selfdelusion_and_bounded/ Scott Aaronson's "On Self-Delusion and Bounded Rationality"]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/15z/ingredients_of_timeless_decision_theory/ Ingredients of Timeless Decision Theory]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/162/you_have_just_been_counterfactually_mugged/ You have just been Counterfactually Mugged!]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/163/evolved_bayesians_will_be_biased/ Evolved Bayesians will be biased]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/165/how_inevitable_was_modern_human_civilization_data/ How inevitable was modern human civilization - data]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/164/timeless_decision_theory_and_metacircular/ Timeless Decision Theory and Meta-Circular Decision Theory]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/168/esrs_new_take_on_qualia/ ESR's New Take on Qualia]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/15s/the_journal_of_failed_replication_studies/ The Journal of (Failed) Replication Studies]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/16d/working_mantras/ Working Mantras]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/16f/decision_theory_an_outline_of_some_upcoming_posts/ Decision theory: An outline of some upcoming posts]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/16h/how_does_an_infovore_manage_information_overload/ How does an infovore manage information overload?]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/16i/confusion_about_newcomb_is_confusion_about/ Confusion about Newcomb is confusion about counterfactuals]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/16j/mathematical_simplicity_bias_and_exponential/ Mathematical simplicity bias and exponential functions]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/16l/a_rationalists_bookshelf_the_minds_i_douglas/ A Rationalist's Bookshelf: The Mind's I (Douglas Hofstadter and Daniel Dennett, 1981)]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/16n/pittsburgh_meetup_survey_of_interest/ Pittsburgh Meetup: Survey of Interest]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/16o/paper_testing_ecological_models/ Paper: Testing ecological models]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/16p/the_twin_webs_of_knowledge/ The Twin Webs of Knowledge]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/16q/dont_be_pathologically_mugged/ Don't be Pathologically Mugged!]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/16r/some_counterevidence_for_human_sociobiology/ Some counterevidence for human sociobiology]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/16g/cookies_vs_existential_risk/ Cookies vs Existential Risk]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/16u/argument_maps_improve_critical_thinking/ Argument Maps Improve Critical Thinking]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/16v/great_post_on_reddit_about_accepting_atheism/ Great post on Reddit about accepting atheism]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/16w/optimal_strategies_for_reducing_existential_risk/ Optimal Strategies for Reducing Existential Risk]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/16x/open_thread_september_2009/ Open Thread: September 2009]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/170/rationality_quotes_september_2009/ Rationality Quotes - September 2009]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/171/lwob_quotes_fall_2009/ LW/OB Quotes - Fall 2009]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/173/knowing_what_you_know/ Knowing What You Know]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/174/decision_theory_why_we_need_to_reduce_could_would/ Decision theory: Why we need to reduce "could", "would", "should"]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/16z/the_featherless_biped/ The Featherless Biped]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/169/the_sword_of_good/ The Sword of Good]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/175/torture_vs_dust_vs_the_presumptuous_philosopher/ Torture vs. Dust vs. the Presumptuous Philosopher: Anthropic Reasoning in UDT]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/178/notes_on_utility_function_experiment/ Notes on utility function experiment]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/179/counterfactual_mugging_and_logical_uncertainty/ Counterfactual Mugging and Logical Uncertainty]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/17a/bay_area_oblw_meetup_sep_12/ Bay Area OBLW Meetup Sep 12]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/17b/decision_theory_why_pearl_helps_reduce_could_and/ Decision theory: Why Pearl helps reduce "could" and "would", but still leaves us with at least three alternatives]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/17d/forcing_anthropics_boltzmann_brains/ Forcing Anthropics: Boltzmann Brains]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/17e/why_im_staying_on_bloggingheadstv/ Why I'm Staying On Bloggingheads.tv]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/17i/an_idea_sticking_point_learning/ An idea: Sticking Point Learning]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/17j/fhi_postdoc_at_oxford/ FHI postdoc at Oxford]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/17c/outlawing_anthropics_an_updateless_dilemma/ Outlawing Anthropics: An Updateless Dilemma]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/17f/let_them_debate_college_students/ Let Them Debate College Students]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/17p/pittsburgh_meetup_saturday_912_630pm_cmu/ Pittsburgh Meetup: Saturday 9/12, 6:30PM, CMU]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/17h/the_lifespan_dilemma/ The Lifespan Dilemma]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/17q/formalizing_informal_logic/ Formalizing informal logic]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/17s/timeless_identity_crisis/ Timeless Identity Crisis]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/17t/the_new_nostradamus/ The New Nostradamus]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/17v/formalizing_reflective_inconsistency/ Formalizing reflective inconsistency]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/17x/beware_of_weird_psychological_samples/ Beware of WEIRD psychological samples]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/182/the_absentminded_driver/ The Absent-Minded Driver]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/183/what_is_the_singularity_summit/ What is the Singularity Summit?]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/184/sociosexual_orientation_inventory_or_failing_to/ Sociosexual Orientation Inventory, or failing to perform basic sanity checks]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/188/quantum_russian_roulette/ Quantum Russian Roulette]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/189/mwi_weird_quantum_experiments_and_futuredirected/ MWI, weird quantum experiments and future-directed continuity of conscious experience]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/18a/minneapolis_meetup_survey_of_interest/ Minneapolis Meetup: Survey of interest]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/18d/hypothetical_paradoxes/ Hypothetical Paradoxes]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/18b/reason_as_memetic_immune_disorder/ Reason as memetic immune disorder]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/18e/how_to_use_smile_to_solve_bayes_nets/ How to use SMILE to solve Bayes Nets]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/18g/the_finale_of_the_ultimate_meta_mega_crossover/ The Finale of the Ultimate Meta Mega Crossover]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/18l/ethics_as_a_black_box_function/ Ethics as a black box function]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/18r/avoiding_doomsday_a_proof_of_the_selfindication/ Avoiding doomsday: a "proof" of the self-indication assumption]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/18s/anthropic_reasoning_and_correlated_decision_making/ Anthropic reasoning and correlated decision making]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/196/boredom_vs_scope_insensitivity/ Boredom vs. Scope Insensitivity]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/198/minneapolis_meetup_this_saturday_26th_at_300_pm/ Minneapolis Meetup, This Saturday (26th) at 3:00 PM, University of Minnesota]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/197/the_utility_curve_of_the_human_population/ The utility curve of the human population]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/181/solutions_to_political_problems_as_counterfactuals/ Solutions to Political Problems As Counterfactuals]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/199/nonmalthusian_scenarios/ Non-Malthusian Scenarios]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/19a/correlated_decision_making_a_complete_theory/ Correlated decision making: a complete theory]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/19b/the_scylla_of_error_and_the_charybdis_of_paralysis/ The Scylla of Error and the Charybdis of Paralysis]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/19d/the_anthropic_trilemma/ The Anthropic Trilemma]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/19e/your_most_valuable_skill/ Your Most Valuable Skill]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/19m/privileging_the_hypothesis/ Privileging the Hypothesis]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/19s/why_manyworlds_is_not_the_rationally_favored/ Why Many-Worlds Is Not The Rationally Favored Interpretation]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/19v/intuitive_differences_when_to_agree_to_disagree/ Intuitive differences: when to agree to disagree]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1a3/nyarea_oblw_meetup_saturday_103_7_pm/ NY-area OB/LW meetup Saturday 10/3 7 PM]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1a4/regular_nyc_meetups/ Regular NYC Meetups]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/19f/open_thread_october_2009/ Open Thread: October 2009]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1a6/why_dont_we_apply_what_we_know_about_twins_to/ Why Don't We Apply What We Know About Twins to Everybody Else?]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1a7/are_you_a_democrat_singletonian_or_a_republican/ Are you a Democrat singletonian, or a Republican singletonian?]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1a5/scott_aaronson_on_born_probabilities/ Scott Aaronson on Born Probabilities]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1a8/oy_girls_on_lw_want_to_get_together_some_time/ 'oy, girls on lw, want to get together some time?']=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/16b/when_willpower_attacks/ When Willpower Attacks]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1ab/dying_outside/ Dying Outside]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1ae/dont_think_too_hard/ Don't Think Too Hard.]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1ag/the_presumptuous_philosophers_presumptuous_friend/ The Presumptuous Philosopher's Presumptuous Friend]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1ai/the_first_step_is_to_admit_that_you_have_a_problem/ The First Step is to Admit That You Have a Problem]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1aj/let_them_eat_cake_interpersonal_problems_vs_tasks/ Let them eat cake: Interpersonal Problems vs Tasks]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1ak/new_havenyale_less_wrong_meetup_5_pm_monday/ New Haven/Yale Less Wrong Meetup: 5 pm, Monday October 12]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1al/boston_area_less_wrong_meetup_2_pm_sunday_october/ Boston Area Less Wrong Meetup: 2 pm Sunday October 11th]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1am/lw_meetup_google_calendar/ LW Meetup Google Calendar]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1ax/im_not_saying_people_are_stupid/ I'm Not Saying People Are Stupid]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1b1/how_to_get_that_friendly_singularity_a_minority/ How to get that Friendly Singularity: a minority view]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1at/the_argument_from_witness_testimony/ The Argument from Witness Testimony]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1b3/link_prisms_gom_jabbars_and_consciousness_peter/ Link: PRISMs, Gom Jabbars, and Consciousness (Peter Watts)]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1b4/what_program_are_you/ What Program Are You?]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1b9/do_the_unlucky_systematically_underestimate/ Do the 'unlucky' systematically underestimate high-variance strategies?]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1b8/anticipation_vs_faith_at_what_cost_rationality/ Anticipation vs. Faith: At What Cost Rationality?]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1ba/the_power_of_information/ The power of information?]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1be/quantifying_ethicality_of_human_actions/ Quantifying ethicality of human actions]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1bf/bhtv_eliezer_yudkowsky_and_andrew_gelman/ BHTV: Eliezer Yudkowsky and Andrew Gelman]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1bg/were_in_danger_i_must_tell_the_others/ We're in danger. I must tell the others...]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1bh/predictionbookcom_track_your_calibration/ PredictionBook.com - Track your calibration]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1bj/the_shadow_question/ The Shadow Question]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1bm/information_theory_and_foom/ Information theory and FOOM]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1bp/waterloo_on_canada_meetup_6pm_sun_oct_18_09/ Waterloo, ON, Canada Meetup: 6pm Sun Oct 18 '09!]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1bs/how_to_think_like_a_quantum_monadologist/ How to think like a quantum monadologist]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1c5/localized_theories_and_conditional_complexity/ Localized theories and conditional complexity]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1c7/applying_double_standards_to_divisive_ideas/ Applying Double Standards to "Divisive" Ideas]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1c2/near_and_far_skills/ Near and far skills]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1c8/shortness_is_now_a_treatable_condition/ Shortness is now a treatable condition]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1ce/lore_sjobergs_lifehacking_faqk/ Lore Sjoberg's Life-Hacking FAQK]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1cd/why_the_beliefsvalues_dichotomy/ Why the beliefs/values dichotomy?]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1cn/biking_beyond_madness_link/ Biking Beyond Madness (link)]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1co/rationality_quotes_october_2009/ Rationality Quotes: October 2009]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1cq/the_continued_misuse_of_the_prisoners_dilemma/ The continued misuse of the Prisoner's Dilemma]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1cu/better_thinking_through_experiential_games/ Better thinking through experiential games]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1cv/extreme_risks_when_not_to_use_expected_utility/ Extreme risks: when not to use expected utility]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1cw/pound_of_feathers_pound_of_gold/ Pound of Feathers, Pound of Gold]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1cy/arrows_theorem_is_a_lie/ Arrow's Theorem is a Lie]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1d1/the_value_of_nature_and_old_books/ The Value of Nature and Old Books]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1d2/circular_altruism_vs_personal_preference/ Circular Altruism vs. Personal Preference]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1d6/computer_bugs_and_evolution/ Computer bugs and evolution]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1d9/doing_your_good_deed_for_the_day/ Doing your good deed for the day]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1d5/expected_utility_without_the_independence_axiom/ Expected utility without the independence axiom]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1dk/post_retracted_if_you_follow_expected_utility/ Post retracted: If you follow expected utility, expect to be money-pumped]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1di/a_less_wrong_qa_with_eliezer_step_1_the/ A Less Wrong Q&amp;A with Eliezer (Step 1: The Proposition)]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1dd/david_deutsch_a_new_way_to_explain_explanation/ David Deutsch: A new way to explain explanation]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1dm/less_wrong_overcoming_bias_meetup_groups/ Less Wrong / Overcoming Bias meet-up groups]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1ds/our_house_my_rules/ Our House, My Rules]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1dt/open_thread_november_2009/ Open Thread: November 2009]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1dx/reunderstanding_robin_hansons_prerationality/ Re-understanding Robin Hanson's "Pre-Rationality"]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1e5/rolf_nelsons_the_rational_entrepreneur/ Rolf Nelson's "The Rational Entrepreneur"]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1dr/money_pumping_the_axiomatic_approach/ Money pumping: the axiomatic approach]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1ec/light_arts/ Light Arts]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1ed/news_improbable_coincidence_slows_lhc_repairs/ News: Improbable Coincidence Slows LHC Repairs]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1ee/bay_area_lw_meetup/ Bay area LW meet-up]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1eg/all_hail_the_lisbon_treaty_or_is_that_hate_or/ All hail the Lisbon Treaty! Or is that "hate"? Or just "huh"?]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1eh/hamster_in_tutu_shuts_down_large_hadron_collider/ Hamster in Tutu Shuts Down Large Hadron Collider]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1em/the_danger_of_stories/ The Danger of Stories]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1eo/practical_rationality_in_surveys/ Practical rationality in surveys]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1e8/reflections_on_prerationality/ Reflections on Pre-Rationality]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1ez/rationality_advice_from_terry_tao/ Rationality advice from Terry Tao]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1f0/restraint_bias/ Restraint Bias]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1f1/what_makes_you_you_for_nondeists_only/ What makes you YOU? For non-deists only.]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1f4/less_wrong_qa_with_eliezer_yudkowsky_ask_your/ Less Wrong Q&amp;A with Eliezer Yudkowsky: Ask Your Questions]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1f8/test_your_calibration/ Test Your Calibration!]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1fe/antiakrasia_technique_structured_procrastination/ Anti-Akrasia Technique: Structured Procrastination]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1fd/boston_meetup_nov_15_and_others/ Boston meetup Nov 15 (and others)]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1ey/consequences_of_arbitrage_expected_cash/ Consequences of arbitrage: expected cash]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1fo/auckland_meet_up_saturday_nov_28th/ Auckland meet up Saturday Nov 28th]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1fp/the_academic_epistemology_cross_section_who_cares/ The Academic Epistemology Cross Section: Who Cares More About Status?]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1fv/bhtv_yudkowsky_robert_greene/ BHTV: Yudkowsky / Robert Greene]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1fu/why_and_why_not_bayesian_updating/ Why (and why not) Bayesian Updating?]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1fw/efficient_prestige_hypothesis/ Efficient prestige hypothesis]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1fz/a_less_wrong_singularity_article/ A Less Wrong singularity article?]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1g8/request_for_article_manyworlds_quantum_computing/ Request For Article: Many-Worlds Quantum Computing]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1gb/the_one_that_isnt_there/ The One That Isn't There]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/15g/calibration_for_continuous_quantities/ Calibration for continuous quantities]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1gh/friedman_on_utility/ Friedman on Utility]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1gi/rational_lies/ Rational lies]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1ga/in_conclusion_in_the_land_beyond_money_pumps_lie/ In conclusion: in the land beyond money pumps lie extreme events]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1gl/how_to_test_your_mental_performance_at_the_moment/ How to test your mental performance at the moment?]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1gg/agree_retort_or_ignore_a_post_from_the_future/ Agree, Retort, or Ignore? A Post From the Future]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1gw/contrarianism_and_reference_class_forecasting/ Contrarianism and reference class forecasting]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1h8/getting_feedback_by_restricting_content/ Getting Feedback by Restricting Content]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1hc/rooting_hard_for_overpriced_mms/ Rooting Hard for Overpriced M&amp;Ms]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1gs/a_nightmare_for_eliezer/ A Nightmare for Eliezer]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1hh/rationality_quotes_november_2009/ Rationality Quotes November 2009]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1hk/morality_and_international_humanitarian_law/ Morality and International Humanitarian Law]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1hm/action_vs_inaction/ Action vs. inaction]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1hg/the_moral_status_of_independent_identical_copies/ The Moral Status of Independent Identical Copies]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1hn/call_for_new_siai_visiting_fellows_on_a_rolling/ Call for new SIAI Visiting Fellows, on a rolling basis]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1hs/open_thread_december_2009/ Open Thread: December 2009]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1hw/the_difference_between_utility_and_utility/ The Difference Between Utility and Utility]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1ht/11_core_rationalist_skills/ 11 core rationalist skills]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1i0/help_roko_become_a_better_rationalist/ Help Roko become a better rationalist!]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1i8/intuitive_supergoal_uncertainty/ Intuitive supergoal uncertainty]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1gc/frequentist_statistics_are_frequently_subjective/ Frequentist Statistics are Frequently Subjective]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1ia/arbitrage_of_prediction_markets/ Arbitrage of prediction markets]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1ib/parapsychology_the_control_group_for_science/ Parapsychology: the control group for science]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1ig/science_idealistic_versus_signaling/ Science - Idealistic Versus Signaling]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1ir/you_be_the_jury_survey_on_a_current_event/ You Be the Jury: Survey on a Current Event]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1il/probability_space_aumann_agreement/ Probability Space &amp; Aumann Agreement]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1iy/what_are_probabilities_anyway/ What Are Probabilities, Anyway?]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1j1/the_persuasive_power_of_false_confessions/ The persuasive power of false confessions]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1j5/a_question_of_rationality/ A question of rationality]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1j7/the_amanda_knox_test_how_an_hour_on_the_internet/ The Amanda Knox Test: How an Hour on the Internet Beats a Year in the Courtroom]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1gf/against_picking_up_pennies/ Against picking up pennies]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1je/previous_post_revised/ Previous Post Revised]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1jf/manwithahammer_syndrome/ Man-with-a-hammer syndrome]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1jl/rebasing_ethics/ Rebasing Ethics]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1jm/getting_over_dust_theory/ Getting Over Dust Theory]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1jq/philadelphia_lesswrong_meetup_december_16th/ Philadelphia LessWrong Meetup, December 16th]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1ju/an_account_of_what_i_believe_to_be_inconsistent/ An account of what I believe to be inconsistent behavior on the part of our editor]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1jx/december_2009_meta_thread/ December 2009 Meta Thread]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1jy/reacting_to_inadequate_data/ Reacting to Inadequate Data]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1k4/the_contrarian_status_catch22/ The Contrarian Status Catch-22]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1ka/any_sufficiently_advanced_wisdom_is/ Any sufficiently advanced wisdom is indistinguishable from bullshit]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1kb/fundamentally_flawed_or_fast_and_frugal/ Fundamentally Flawed, or Fast and Frugal?]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1kc/sufficiently_advanced_sanity/ Sufficiently Advanced Sanity]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1kd/mandating_information_disclosure_vs_banning/ Mandating Information Disclosure vs. Banning Deceptive Contract Terms]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1ke/if_reason_told_you_to_jump_off_a_cliff_would_you/ If reason told you to jump off a cliff, would you do it?]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1kh/the_correct_contrarian_cluster/ The Correct Contrarian Cluster]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1ki/karma_changes/ Karma Changes]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1kk/lessmeta/ lessmeta]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1kj/the_911_metatruther_conspiracy_theory/ The 9/11 Meta-Truther Conspiracy Theory]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1kn/two_truths_and_a_lie/ Two Truths and a Lie]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1ko/on_the_power_of_intelligence_and_rationality/ On the Power of Intelligence and Rationality]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1kp/are_these_cognitive_biases_biases/ Are these cognitive biases, biases?]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1kq/positiveaffectdayschellingpointmas_meetup/ Positive-affect-day-Schelling-point-mas Meetup]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1kv/playing_the_metagame/ Playing the Meta-game]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1l4/a_masterslave_model_of_human_preferences/ A Master-Slave Model of Human Preferences]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1kr/that_other_kind_of_status/ That other kind of status]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1l5/singularity_institute_100k_challenge_grant_2009/ Singularity Institute $100K Challenge Grant / 2009 Donations Reminder]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1l7/boksops_ancient_superintelligence/ Boksops -- Ancient Superintelligence?]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1l8/new_years_resolutions_thread/ New Yearâ€™s Resolutions Thread]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1la/new_years_predictions_thread/ New Year's Predictions Thread]=====



=====[http://lesswrong.com End of 2009 articles]=====

__NOTOC__ <!-- This removes the table of contents -->
[[Category:Resource lists]]