jsteinhardt comments on Why I Am Not a Rationalist, or, why several of my friends warned me that this is a cult - Less Wrong

12 Post author: Algernoq 13 July 2014 05:54PM

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Comment author: jsteinhardt 13 July 2014 11:36:45PM *  11 points [-]

Hi Algernoq,

Thanks for writing this. This sentence particularly resonated:

LW members who are conventionally successful (e.g. PhD students at top-10 universities) typically became so before learning about LW, and the LW community may or may not support their continued success (e.g. may encourage them, with only genuine positive intent, to spend a lot of time studying Rationality instead of more specific skills).

I was definitely explicitly discouraged from pursuing a PhD by certain rationalists and I think listening to their advice would have been one of the biggest mistakes of my life. Unfortunately I see this attitude continuing to be propagated so I am glad that you are speaking out against it.

EDIT: Although, it looks like you've changed my favorite part! The text that I quoted the above was not the original text (which talked more about dropping out of PhD and starting a start-up).

Comment author: Bruno_Coelho 14 July 2014 10:21:17PM 4 points [-]

This anti-academic feeling is something I associate with lesswrong, mostly because people can find programming jobs without necessarily having a degree.

Comment author: Algernoq 14 July 2014 12:11:15AM 3 points [-]

Glad to hear it!

For others considering a PhD: usually the best (funded) PhD program you got into is a good choice for you. But only do it if you enjoy research/learning for its own sake.

Comment author: jsteinhardt 14 July 2014 01:18:54AM 5 points [-]

Tangential, but:

usually the best (funded) PhD program you got into is a good choice for you. But only do it if you enjoy research/learning for its own sake.

I'm not sure I agree with this, except insofar as any top-tier or even second-tier program will pay for your graduate education, at least in engineering fields, and so if they do not then that is a major red flag. I would say that research fit with your advisor, caliber of peers, etc. is much more important.

Comment author: tslarm 16 July 2014 03:21:14AM *  8 points [-]

I interpreted "the best (funded) PhD program you got into" to mean 'the best PhD program that offered you a funded place', rather than 'the best-funded PhD program that offered you a place'. So Algernoq's advice need not conflict with yours, unless he did mean 'best' in a very narrow sense.

Comment author: Algernoq 16 July 2014 07:15:13AM 2 points [-]

OK, I'll change it back. I heard it secondhand so I deleted it.

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