Note: This was originally posted in the discussion area, but motions to move it to the top level were made.
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My own desire to improve my rationality coupled with some posts criticizing LessWrong not too long ago led to an idea. For reference, the posts I mean are these:
- Goals for which LessWrong does (and doesn't) help
- Self-Improvement of Shiny Distraction: Why LessWrong is anti-instrumental Rationality
- A comment on Humans are not automatically strategic
Unfortunately, I don't know of any resources to help people traverse the path you're facing in a series of small safe steps.
- Most interesting to me was the idea of some form of "rationality comb." An iterative evaluation process. Again, I hardly consider myself the one to design this, but perhaps something like:
- Take 5 minutes and brainstorm about the beliefs you think affect your actions the most
- Focus on the first belief, set(1):belief(1)
- Can you recall how you came to hold this belief?
- What are some common alternative views to your belief?
- Do you think you could provide testable justification for your current belief over the above alternatives?
- If not, can you imagine leaving your belief for one of the alternatives?
- And so on...
- Then repeat with set(1):belief(2). When set(1):belief(n) is finished... re-brainstorm for 5min to come up with set(2):belief(1)...belief(n).
- A series of "homework" problems on Bayesian Probability, perhaps including EY's tutorial and other helpful material.
- Brain teasers or similar items to focus on attentiveness to details, weighing evidence, knowing the limits of what you can know given certain information, etc. I think LW has already provided some good examples of neat things like this (even if they would require refinement).
- Questions that intentionally try to deceive the reader with some form of fallacy or bias
- Tutorials on how to have rational discussions, rules of engagement, reaching a mutual conclusion, etc.
Thirded; move it to main.
Done.