JamesCole comments on My concerns about the term 'rationalist' - Less Wrong

10 Post author: JamesCole 04 June 2009 03:31PM

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Comment author: JamesCole 07 June 2009 12:24:15PM 1 point [-]

The problem is language. If you use a concept frequently, you pretty much need a shorthand way of referring to it.

But I would ask, do you need that concept – a concept for labeling this type of person – in the first place?

"Mate selection for the male who values the use of a properly weighted Bayesian model in the evaluation of the probability of phenomena" would not make a very effective post title. [as] "Mate selection for the male rationalist".

I don’t think that’s the only other option. Maybe it could’ve been called “Mate selection for rational male” or “Mate selection for males interested in rationality”.

I don’t see why it has to even make any mention of rationality. Presumably anything posted on Less Wrong is going to be targeted at those with an interest in rationality. Perhaps it could have been “Finding a mate with a similar outlook” or “Looking for relationship?”

I’m not suggesting that any of these alternatives are great titles, I'm just using them to suggest that there are alternatives.