So after reading SarahC's latest post I noticed that she's gotten a lot out of rationality.
More importantly, she got different things out of it than I have.
Off the top of my head, I've learned...
- that other people see themselves differently, and should be understood on their terms (mostly from here)
- that I can pay attention to what I'm doing, and try to notice patterns to make intervention more effective.
- the whole utilitarian structure of having a goal that you take actions to achieve, coupled with the idea of an optimization process. It was really helpful to me to realize that you can do whatever it takes to achieve something, not just what has been suggested.
- the importance/usefulness of dissolving the question/how words work (especially great when combined with previous part)
- that an event is evidence for something, not just what I think it can support
- to pull people in, don't force them. Seriously that one is ridiculously useful. Thanks David Gerard.
- that things don't happen unless something makes them happen.
- that other people are smart and cool, and often have good advice
Where she got...
- a habit of learning new skills
- better time-management habits
- an awesome community
- more initiative
- the idea that she can change the world
I've only recently making a habit out of trying new things, and that's been going really well for me. Is there other low hanging fruit that I'm missing?
What cool/important/useful things has rationality gotten you?
I'm kinda changing the subject here, but that wasn't a typo. "Pace" was what I meant to write. Trouble is, I'm not completely sure what it means. I've seen it used in contexts that suggest it means something like "I know you disagree with this, but I don't want to pick a fight. At least not now." But I don't know what it means literally, nor even how to pronounce it.
My guess is that it is church Latin, meaning (as you suggest) 'peace'. 'Requiescat in pace' and all that. I suppose, since it is a foreign language word, I technically should have italicized. Can anyone help out here?
Latin (from pax "peace"), "with due respect offered to...", e.g. "pace Brown" means "I respectfully disagree with Brown", though the disagreement is often in fact not very respectful!