David_Gerard comments on Tell Your Rationalist Origin Story - Less Wrong

30 Post author: Eliezer_Yudkowsky 25 February 2009 05:16PM

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Comment author: Emile 27 February 2009 03:10:42PM *  14 points [-]

I don't remember any sudden move towards rationality - I was raised in a godless household in a mostly godless country (France). I've always been pretty interested in science-fiction and in religion (though not as something I might believe in).

What pushed me a bit more towards rationalism:

  • Maths classes that required a lot of demonstrations (and having to be able to do them again on the blackboard with an examinator)

  • A physics teacher who insisted that we always include an uncertainty factor throughout our calculations, and not give excess decimals (I've noticed that I tend to think in terms of probability distributions more than others around me)

  • Questioning a lot of my political opinions, and noticing when my brain was "up to no good", for example when EvaluateAsLeftWingOrRightWing(idea) was being called before EvaluateTruth(idea).

  • Getting annoyed with atheists who consider religion to be the only domain where one can be irrational

  • Working as a programmer, which doesn't leave much place for wishful thinking

  • Reading Overcoming Bias daily

Comment author: David_Gerard 13 April 2011 08:22:12PM 3 points [-]

Working as a programmer, which doesn't leave much place for wishful thinking

I wish some of the programmers I've worked with realised this.