I've been aware of the concept of cognitive biases going back to 1972 or so, when I was a college freshman. I think I've done a decent job of avoiding the worst of them -- or at least better than a lot of people -- though there is an enormous amount I don't know and I'm sure I mess up. Less Wrong is a very impressive site for looking into nooks and crannies and really following things through to their conclusions.

My initial question is perhaps about the social psychology of the site. Why are two popular subjects here (1) extending lifespan, including cryogenics, (2) increasingly powerful AIs leading to a singularity. Is there an argument that concern for these things is somehow derivable from a Bayesian approach? Or is it more or less an accident that these things are of interest to the people here?

Examples of other things that might be of interest could be (a) "may I grow firmer, quieter, warmer" (rough paraphrase of Dag Hammarskjold), (b) I want to make the very best art, (c) economics rules and the key problem is affording enough for everyone. I'm not saying those are better, just that they're different. Are there reasons people here talk about the one set and not the other?