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CuSithBell comments on What is the best programming language? - Less Wrong
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"Rational" is so frequently used as a contentless word that, if I were to have a comment keyword blacklist, it'd be number two on there, right after "status", perhaps followed by "downvote me". Unless you're talking meta (as in the parent comment), I strongly recommend trying to figure out what you actually mean, and use that word. "Rationality" ain't the goal.
Usually when I say status I actually mean status. It's a valid, coherent and useful abstraction. Reducing all uses of the term to component parts would require writing paragraphs or essays all over the place and in general be a stupid thing to do.
As evidenced by the presence of "downvote me" on the list, my problem with each term is not necessarily the same.
Briefly, I expect people talking about status to be worrying about trivialities, providing facile explanations, or stopping at an overabstraction while thinking they understand a complex issue.
I expect people requesting downvotes to be A) nutty, possibly conspiracy theorists, and B) over-concerned with the karma system.
It is certainly a word that I have seen used as a curiosity stopper.