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Yvain comments on Church vs. Taskforce - Less Wrong
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Comments (84)
How is this significantly different from the Lions Club and Kiwanis, crossed with the local atheist organization?
I see how it's more rationalist-oriented than the Kiwanis, and more service-oriented than the Atheist Club. And they could probably get more charitable value for money by focusing on high-utility causes - if the rationalists were high-level enough, which the sort of people who respond to "rationalist club" ads might not be. But does "altruist rationalists" correspond to such a significant cluster in personspace that they need their own club? And is this just "we should start a fraternal organization"?
These clubs are interesting and do some good work, but I don't hear people speaking of them in the same breath as religion (except maybe when they get mystical, like the Freemasons).
Yvain is spot on; secular service organization already exist and function. I have occasionally attended some meetings at a Rotary club and it usually involves eating, a list of ongoing activities, community highlights and recognition of visiting members.
What is special about the way a rationalist helps people? Maybe starting a program to fund probability and philosophy of science classes in the community?
Law school sounds like the best option for finding fellow argumentative atheists.
A lawyer's expertise is in rationalization, not rationality. Of course, many lawyers may also be excellent rationalists, but my experience is that they're not generally very sciency people.
That was my point; I was making a dig on the goals of argumentative atheists looking for a support group vs people who might want to advance rationalist goals
Serious altruist atheists are likely to take rationalism fairly seriously, creating a correlation that creates a cluster in personspace.