Do we have reason to believe that the kind of rationality promoted on LW, OvercomingBias, CFAR, etc. appeals to a fairly normal distribution of people around the IQ mean?
I think it appeals to some subset, notably those who want to win and have enough self-discipline to apply proper tools.
Otherwise it seems to me that the stupider you are, the harder it is for you to consciously use rationality and so you will value it less.
Ditto, except replace "being rational" with "celebrating rationality...
I don't know what "celebrating rationality" means. Stories like HPMOR attempt to popularize rationality and spread it. That's not celebration, that's pushing a meme.
what are the implications for the movement in general?
Which "movement"? There ain't no movement.
I think it appeals to some subset, notably those who want to win and have enough self-discipline to apply proper tools.
I think that conflicts with our evidence. That subset is fairly large, yet (it seems) very few of them if any are on LW.
By "celebrating rationality" I meant something like what you meant by "popularizing rationality." The difference isn't important, but for what it is worth it has something to do with the intended effect of the art on people who already like the ideas it popularizes.
...Which "movement"? Ther
This post is to raise a question about the demographics of rationality: Is rationality something that can appeal to low-IQ people as well?
I don't mean in theory, I mean in practice. From what I've seen, people who are concerned about rationality (in the sense that it has on LW, OvercomingBias, etc.) are overwhelmingly high-IQ.
Meanwhile, HPMOR and other stories in the "rationality genre" appeal to me, and to other people I know. However I wonder: Perhaps part of the reason they appeal to me is that I think of myself as a smart person, and this allows me to identify with the main characters, cheer when they think their way to victory, etc. If I thought of myself as a stupid person, then perhaps I would feel uncomfortable, insecure, and alienated while reading the same stories.
So, I have four questions:
1.) Do we have reason to believe that the kind of rationality promoted on LW, OvercomingBias, CFAR, etc. appeals to a fairly normal distribution of people around the IQ mean? Or should we think, as I suggested, that people with lower IQ's are disposed to find the idea of being rational less attractive?
2.) Ditto, except replace "being rational" with "celebrating rationality through stories like HPMOR." Perhaps people think that rationality is a good thing in much the same way that being wealthy is a good thing, but they don't think that it should be celebrated, or at least they don't find such celebrations appealing.
3.) Supposing #1 and #2 have the answers I am suggesting, why?
4.) Making the same supposition, what are the implications for the movement in general?
Note: I chose to use IQ in this post instead of a more vague term like "intelligence," but I could easily have done the opposite. I'm happy to do whichever version is less problematic.