You're looking at Less Wrong's discussion board. This includes all posts, including those that haven't been promoted to the front page yet. For more information, see About Less Wrong.

MathiasZaman comments on Open Thread, November 1 - 7, 2013 - Less Wrong Discussion

5 Post author: witzvo 02 November 2013 04:37PM

You are viewing a comment permalink. View the original post to see all comments and the full post content.

Comments (299)

You are viewing a single comment's thread. Show more comments above.

Comment author: MathiasZaman 04 November 2013 09:44:49AM *  6 points [-]

Wait, what?! Is "a story where the protagonist behaves rationally" really a new genre of literature?

I think there's a difference between what I've been describing as rationalist!fic (or rationalist!fiction) and fiction in which the -agonists (PCs is the right terminology, I guess) are rational/clever. Rationalist!fic doesn't just feature rationalist characters, they're expressively written to teach the audience about rationality.

Examples:

  • Doctor Who features a sufficiently advanced alien who is, within the rules of the universe, pretty rational (in that he is good at reaching his goals). The message of the show however, is not: "be clever and rational," it's: "humanity is awesome and you should feel some wonder about the universe." Not rationalist!fic.
  • The Conqueror's Shadow, by Ari Marmell features rationalist agonists and the message the audience goes away with is: "be clever and creative when it comes to reaching worthwhile goals." Rationalist!fic.