Come meet other Seattle-area aspiring rationalists to discuss the week's reading, learn rationality techniques, and have a good time. This is a weekly meetup, meeting on the 5th floor of the Paul Allen Center (UW computer science building), often in room 503. Discussion will start at 6:45.

This week's Facebook event is https://www.facebook.com/events/1706167056307601/. To see future events, consider joining the Seattle Rationality group, https://www.facebook.com/groups/seattlerationality/.

While doing the reading beforehand is recommended, it is not required. We are currently working on the Human's Guide To Words sequence (part of The Machine in the Ghost), with added content from SlateStarCodex. Previous reading included the Map and Territory & How to Actually Change Your Mind sequences.

Recommended reading:

http://lesswrong.com/lw/o1/entropy_and_short_codes/

http://lesswrong.com/lw/o2/mutual_information_and_density_in_thingspace/

http://lesswrong.com/lw/6kx/wanting_vs_liking_revisited/

http://lesswrong.com/lw/6kf/prospect_theory_a_framework_for_understanding/

This is a weekly meetup in the Seattle area, currently reading Yudkowski's Rationality: From AI to Zombies. We are currently in the "Death Spirals and the Cult Attractor" sequence of "How to Actually Change Your Mind". See the Facebook event here: https://www.facebook.com/events/520808021411665/

The meetings involve discussions of the recent readings and related topics. They are typically around 2 - 2.5 hours long. Bringing snacks is welcome but by no means expected. We usually go for dinner on the Ave after the meetup. We are typically located in room 503.

It's not necessary to have read the material leading up to this week's readings (either in the book Rationality, or in the Sequences here on LW), but it may help. The items for this week are:

\109. Evaporative Cooling of Group Beliefs

\110. When None Dare Urge Restraint

\111. The Robbers Cave Experiment

\112. Every Cause Wants to Be a Cult

\113. Guardians of the Truth

\114. Guardians of the Gene Pool

Reading group for Yudkowsky's "Rationality: AI to Zombies", which is basically an organized and updated version of the Sequences from LW (see http://wiki.lesswrong.com/wiki/Sequences).

The group meets to discuss the topics in the book, how to apply and benefit from them, and related topics in areas like cognitive biases, applied rationality, and effective altruism. You can get a copy of the book here: https://intelligence.org/rationality-ai-zombies/

The reading list for this week is five topics from the "Against Rationalization" section of Book II, "How To Actually Change Your Mind". They are (actually 76-80, LW's auto-formatting is screwing it up):

1. Fake Justification
2. Is That Your True Rejection?
3. Entangled Truths, Contagious Lies
4. Of Lies and Black Swan Blowups
5. Dark Side Epistemology

We previously covered the "Map and territory" sequence (and previous parts of "How To Actually Change Your Mind"), but please don't feel a need to have read everything up to this point to participate in the group.

Event is also on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/962791670440258/

We're meeting on the 5th floor. If you show up and the door into the room is locked, knock and look around for us elsewhere on the fifth floor if nobody answers. If the doors to the building are locked, try the other ones and see if you can tailgate in. If the doors are, in fact, locked, we'll try to have somebody to let people in.

There's usually snacks at the meetup, though feel free to bring something. We usually get dinner afterward, around 9PM or so.

Reading group for Yudkowsky's "Rationality: AI to Zombies", which is basically an organized and updated version of the Sequences from LW (see http://wiki.lesswrong.com/wiki/Sequences).

The group meets to discuss the topics in the book, how to apply and benefit from them, and related topics in areas like cognitive biases, applied rationality, and effective altruism. You can get a copy of the book here: https://intelligence.org/rationality-ai-zombies/

The reading list for this week is five topics from the "Against Rationalization" section of Book II, "How To Actually Change Your Mind". They are (actually 71-75, LW's auto-formatting is screwing it up):

1. What Evidence Filtered Evidence?

2. Rationalization

3. A Rational Argument

4. Avoiding Your Belief’s Real Weak Points

5. Motivated Stopping and Motivated Continuation

We previously covered the "Map and territory" sequence a few months ago, but please don't feel a need to have read everything up to this point to participate in the group.

Event is also on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/1008817309162312/

We're meeting on the 5th floor. If you show up and the door into the room is locked, knock and look around for us elsewhere on the fifth floor if nobody answers. If the doors to the building are locked, try the other ones and see if you can tailgate in. If the doors are, in fact, locked, we'll try to have somebody to let people in.

There's usually snacks at the meetup, though feel free to bring something. We usually get dinner afterward, around 9PM or so.

Reading group for Yudkowsky's "Rationality: AI to Zombies", which is basically an organized and updated version of the Sequences from LW (see http://wiki.lesswrong.com/wiki/Sequences).

The group meets to discuss the topics in the book, how to apply and benefit from them, and related topics in areas like cognitive biases, applied rationality, and effective altruism. You can get a copy of the book here: https://intelligence.org/rationality-ai-zombies/

The reading list for this week is two topics from the "Politics and Rationality" section, and four topics from the "Against Rationalization" section, both from Book II, "How To Actually Change Your Mind". They are (actually 65-70, LW's auto-formatting is screwing it up):

1. Rationality and the English Language

2. Human Evil and Muddled Thinking

3. Knowing About Biases Can Hurt People

4. Update Yourself Incrementally

5. One Argument Against An Army

6. The Bottom Line

We previously covered the "Map and territory" sequence a few months ago, but please don't feel a need to have read everything up to this point to participate in the group.

Event is also on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/1460283954292194/

We're meeting on the 5th floor. If you show up and the door into the room is locked, knock and look around for us elsewhere on the fifth floor if nobody answers. If the doors to the building are locked, try the other ones and don't believe the little red lights; try anyway. If the doors are, in fact, locked, we'll try to have somebody to let people in.

There's usually snacks at the meetup, though feel free to bring something. We usually get dinner afterward, around 9PM or so.

Reading group for Yudkowsky's "Rationality: AI to Zombies", which is basically an organized and updated version of the Sequences from LW (see http://wiki.lesswrong.com/wiki/Sequences).

The group meets to discuss the topics in the book, how to apply and benefit from them, and related topics in areas like cognitive biases, applied rationality, and effective altruism. You can get a copy of the book here: https://intelligence.org/rationality-ai-zombies/

The reading list for this week is five topics from the "Politics and Rationality" section of "How To Actually Change Your Mind". They are (actually 62-66, LW's auto-formatting is screwing it up):

1. Reversed Stupidity Is Not Intelligence

2. Argument Screens Off Authority

3. Hug the Query

4. Rationality and the English Language

5. Human Evil and Muddled Thinking

We previously covered the "Map and territory" sequence a few months ago, but please don't feel a need to have read everything up to this point to participate in the group.

Event is also on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/1641756126111169/

We're meeting on the 5th floor. If you show up and the door into the room is locked, knock and look around for us elsewhere on the fifth floor if nobody answers. If the doors to the building are locked, try the other ones and don't believe the little red lights; try anyway. If the doors are, in fact, locked, we'll try to have somebody to let people in.

There's usually snacks at the meetup, though feel free to bring something. We usually get dinner afterward, around 9PM or so.

Reading group for Yudkowsky's "Rationality: AI to Zombies", which is basically an organized and updated version of the Sequences from LW (see http://wiki.lesswrong.com/wiki/Sequences).

The group meets to discuss the topics in the book, how to apply and benefit from them, and related topics in areas like cognitive biases, applied rationality, and effective altruism. You can get a copy of the book here: https://intelligence.org/rationality-ai-zombies/

The reading list for this week is six topics from the "How to actually change your mind" section. These are the same as from last week's meetup, as that didn't really happen. They are (actually 57-61, LW's auto-formatting is screwing it up):

1. Politics is the Mind-Killer

2. Policy Debates Should Not Appear One-Sided

3. The Scales of Justice, the Notebook of Rationality

4. Correspondence Bias

5. Are Your Enemies Innately Evil?

We previously covered the "Map and territory" sequence a few months ago, but please don't feel a need to have read everything up to this point to participate in the group.

Event is also on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/1685501021668755/

We're meeting on the 5th floor. If you show up and the door into the room is locked, knock and look around for us elsewhere on the fifth floor if nobody answers. If the doors to the building are locked, try the other ones and don't believe the little red lights; try anyway. If the doors are, in fact, locked, we'll try to have somebody to let people in.

There's usually snacks at the meetup, though feel free to bring something. We usually get dinner afterward, around 9PM or so.

Reading group for Yudkowsky's "Rationality: AI to Zombies", which is basically an organized and updated version of the Sequences from LW (see http://wiki.lesswrong.com/wiki/Sequences).

The group meets to discuss the topics in the book, how to apply and benefit from them, and related topics in areas like cognitive biases, applied rationality, and effective altruism. You can get a copy of the book here: https://intelligence.org/rationality-ai-zombies/

The reading list for this week is six topics from the "How to actually change your mind" section. These are the same as from last week's meetup, as that didn't really happen. They are (actually 51-56, LW's auto-formatting is screwing it up):

1. The Fallacy of Gray

2. Absolute Authority

3. How to Convince Me That 2 + 2 = 3

4. Infinite Certainty

5. 0 And 1 Are Not Probabilities

6. Your Rationality Is My Business

We previously covered the "Map and territory" sequence a few months ago, but please don't feel a need to have read everything up to this point to participate in the group.

Event is also on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/855101044575658/

We're meeting on the 5th floor. If you show up and the door into the room is close, just knock. If the doors to the building are locked, try the other ones and don't believe the little red lights; try anyway. If the doors are, in fact, locked, we'll try to have somebody to let people in.

There's usually snacks at the meetup, though feel free to bring something. We usually get dinner afterward, around 9PM or so.

Location is the UW CSE building, room 503. Paid parking is available on campus (enter via Steven's Way). Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/458276484323814/

This is a semi-weekly meetup to discuss and work through the Sequences while getting to know other aspiring rationalists in the Seattle area. Each session's reading list is posted below, and in the relevant Facebook event. We usually discuss the sequence posts, and sometimes also cover relevant applied rationality techniques.

If you missed the last meetup (23 March), you're not alone. We will be discussing the fifth part of the sequence at this meetup, but there might be some discussion of the fourth part as well since most people weren't able to make it.

As the name suggests, this meetup will go over the fifth part of the "Mysterious Answers to Mysterious Questions" sequence. We previously covered the "Map and territory" sequence. All are welcome to join, though, even if they've read all of the sequences already or haven't yet caught up to us.

There are often snacks at the meetup, which typically runs until around 8:30 or 9. After that, many of us go get dinner on the Ave.

Reading list: Start here http://lesswrong.com/lw/j0/making_history_available/

1.24 Making History Available

1.25 Explain/Worship/Ignore?

1.26 "Science" as Curiosity-Stopper

1.27 Applause Lights

1.28 Truly Part of You

1.29 Chaotic Inversion

Overall sequence: http://wiki.lesswrong.com/wiki/Mysterious_Answers_to_Mysterious_Questions

Location is the UW CSE building, room 503. Paid parking is available on campus (enter via Steven's Way). Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/966274253390417/

This is a normally-weekly meetup to discuss and work through the Sequences while getting to know other aspiring rationalists in the Seattle area. Each session's reading list is posted below, and in the relevant Facebook event. We usually discuss the sequence posts and relevant applied rationality techniques.

Note that this meetup has an unusual two-week gap since the last one, due to conflicts with other events and host availability. We will try to return to a regular schedule following this.

As the name suggests, this meetup will go over the fourth part of the "Mysterious Answers to Mysterious Questions" sequence. We previously covered the "Map and territory" sequence. All are welcome to join, though, even if they've read all of the sequences already or haven't yet caught up to us.

There are often snacks at the meetup, which typically runs until around 8:30 or 9. After that, many of us go get dinner on the Ave.

Reading list: Start here: http://lesswrong.com/lw/iu/mysterious_answers_to_mysterious_questions/

1.18 Mysterious Answers to Mysterious Questions

1.19 The Futility of Emergence

1.20 Say Not "Complexity"

1.21 Positive Bias: Look Into the Dark

1.22 My Wild and Reckless Youth

1.23 Failing to Learn from History