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= About Less Wrong =

Interested in improving your reasoning and decision-making skills? Then you've come to the right place.

Less Wrong is a large, active website for people who try to think rationally. To get a quick idea of why rationality is important and how to develop it, try reading [http://lesswrong.com/lw/2bu/your_intuitions_are_not_magic/ Your Intuitions Are Not Magic], [http://lesswrong.com/lw/7e5/the_cognitive_science_of_rationality/ The Cognitive Science of Rationality], or [http://lesswrong.com/lw/34m/things_ive_learned_from_less_wrong/ What I've Learned From Less Wrong].

Here's a selection of other posts from the extensive Less Wrong [http://wiki.lesswrong.com/wiki/Rationality_materials archives] that might appeal to you:

* Like thinking about politics? Try [http://lesswrong.com/lw/gt/a_fable_of_science_and_politics/ A Fable of Science and Politics].
* Enjoy thought experiments? [http://lesswrong.com/lw/6ha/the_blueminimizing_robot/ Here's a good one] about the nature of intention.
* Want to teach yourself something? We've compiled [http://lesswrong.com/lw/3gu/the_best_textbooks_on_every_subject/ a list of the best textbooks on every subject]. Try [http://wiki.lesswrong.com/wiki/Spaced_repetition spaced repetition] for helping you remember what you read.
* Not sure if rational thinking has practical applications? Read Less Wrong on [http://lesswrong.com/lw/awm/how_to_avoid_dying_in_a_car_crash/ driving] or [http://lesswrong.com/lw/7am/rational_home_buying/ buying a house].
* Want to improve your effectiveness? [http://lesswrong.com/lw/2p5/humans_are_not_automatically_strategic/ Humans are not automatically strategic], so learning to think [http://lesswrong.com/lw/58g/levels_of_action/ more strategically] can give you a leg up.
* Feeling altruistic? Read a Less Wrong user's [http://lesswrong.com/lw/3gj/efficient_charity_do_unto_others/ case] for "efficient" charity, or here's an [http://lesswrong.com/lw/3kl/optimizing_fuzzies_and_utilons_the_altruism_chip/ interesting donation scheme].
* Are you a busy intellectual? Consider [http://lesswrong.com/lw/25d/too_busy_to_think_about_life/ taking time to introspect] on whether you're working towards something worth achieving, and how you could operate more effectively.
* Want to make sure your study of biases doesn't backfire?  Read how [http://lesswrong.com/lw/he/knowing_about_biases_can_hurt_people/ knowing about biases can hurt people].

And some slightly meatier stuff:
* [http://lesswrong.com/lw/2b0/bayes_theorem_illustrated_my_way Bayes' Theorem Illustrated]
* [http://lesswrong.com/lw/im/hindsight_devalues_science/ Hindsight Devalues Science]
* [http://lesswrong.com/lw/no/how_an_algorithm_feels_from_inside/ How an Algorithm Feels from the Inside]
* [http://lesswrong.com/lw/47j/make_your_training_useful/ Make Your Training Useful]
* [http://lesswrong.com/lw/5me/scholarship_how_to_do_it_efficiently/ Scholarship: How to Do It Efficiently]
* [http://lesswrong.com/lw/blr/attention_control_is_critical_for/ Attention Control Is Critical for Changing/Increasing/Altering Motivation]
* [http://lesswrong.com/lw/qk/that_alien_message/ That Alien Message]
* Decision Theories: A Semi-Formal Analysis parts [http://lesswrong.com/lw/aq9/decision_theories_a_less_wrong_primer/ 0], [http://lesswrong.com/lw/axl/decision_theories_a_semiformal_analysis_part_i 1], [http://lesswrong.com/lw/az6/decision_theories_a_semiformal_analysis_part_ii/ 2], and [http://lesswrong.com/lw/b7w/decision_theories_a_semiformal_analysis_part_iii/ 3]

== The Less Wrong Community ==

Less Wrong makes heavy use of previously introduced topics for leverage, so you may need to consult the [http://wiki.lesswrong.com/wiki/Category:Concepts Concepts] and [http://wiki.lesswrong.com/wiki/Jargon Jargon] pages on the [http://wiki.lesswrong.com/wiki/LessWrong_Wiki Less Wrong Wiki].  You can also do keyword searches of past posts using the search tool near the top right corner of every page.

[http://lesswrong.com/lw/1ww/undiscriminating_skepticism/ Unlike some skeptics], Less Wrong users don't automatically reject odd ideas and sometimes endorse them. Odd ideas users have been known to espouse include [http://wiki.lesswrong.com/wiki/Transhumanism transhumanism], [http://wiki.lesswrong.com/wiki/Cryonics cryonics], and [http://commonsenseatheism.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/Muehlhauser-Salamon-Intelligence-Explosion-Evidence-and-Import.pdf caution] regarding AI research.

To meet other rationality enthusiasts in [http://www.catb.org/jargon/html/M/meatspace.html meatspace], [http://wiki.lesswrong.com/wiki/Less_Wrong_meetup_groups find a nearby Less Wrong meetup group] or [http://lesswrong.com/lw/43s/starting_a_lw_meetup_is_easy start] a [http://lesswrong.com/lw/crs/how_to_run_a_successful_less_wrong_meetup/ new] [http://lesswrong.com/lw/bc2/setting_up_lw_meetups_in_unlikely_places_positive/ one].

If you want to know more about Less Wrong, try the [http://wiki.lesswrong.com/wiki/FAQ Less Wrong FAQ].

== The Archives ==

The best place to start exploring the LW archives is the [http://wiki.lesswrong.com/wiki/Sequences sequences page]. Sequence posts provide Less Wrong's philosophical foundation and cover many important ideas. You can also [http://lesswrong.com/top/ browse all posts by score].

Yes, blog archives [http://lesswrong.com/lw/33j/yes_a_blog/ can] make for better reading than books.

== Contributing ==

After creating an account, you can introduce yourself in our [http://lesswrong.com/lw/do9/welcome_to_less_wrong_july_2012/ welcome thread].

Don't take it too hard if one of your first few non-welcome-thread comments gets voted down. Less Wrong sets a [http://lesswrong.com/lw/c1/wellkept_gardens_die_by_pacifism/ very high standard] for contributions.  You might want to lurk for a while or read some archive posts to get a sense of the site.

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