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LessWrong explores rationality, personal responsibility, and societal responses to current issues like COVID-19 through a critical lens. It emphasizes ethical considerations in transactions, the importance of reputation over PR, and encourages a deeper understanding of human cognition, AI, and the philosophy of mind.

Rationality COVID-19 Response Ethics in Transactions Reputation and PR Human Cognition and AI Philosophy of Mind Personal Responsibility

The hottest Substack posts of LessWrong

And their main takeaways

Making Vaccine

58 implied HN points • 30 Mar 21
  1. The process of making a vaccine involved mainly buying peptides and the necessary equipment.
  2. The plan includes testing the vaccine's effectiveness through commercial blood tests.
  3. The motivation behind making the vaccine was to strive for personal responsibility and challenge current societal responses to COVID-19.

The Scout Mindset

19 implied HN points • 01 Apr 21
  1. The post is about a book titled 'The Scout Mindset'.
  2. The book discusses why some people see things clearly while others do not.
  3. The post is accessible to paid subscribers only.

Your Cheerful Price

19 implied HN points • 30 Mar 21
  1. When asking for a Cheerful Price, seek a price that makes the other person feel genuinely happy about the transaction.
  2. Consider setting prices higher to avoid uncomfortable scenarios and ensure joyful transactions.
  3. It's important to be mindful of the feelings and considerations involved in determining a Cheerful Price, whether it involves money or not.

“PR” is corrosive; “reputation” is not.

19 implied HN points • 30 Mar 21
  1. Focus on defending your honor, reputation, or good name instead of navigating PR.
  2. Safeguarding your reputation means adhering to fixed standards, while managing PR can be a more complicated and confusing process.
  3. Thinking in terms of honor and reputation can lead to clearer communication and a sense of freedom.

The 13th Virtue of Rationality

0 implied HN points • 01 Apr 21
  1. The 13th Virtue of Rationality is courage.
  2. Eliezer Yudkowsky discusses the importance of courage.
  3. The post is for paid subscribers only.
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Killing Moloch: Much More Than You Wanted To Know

0 implied HN points • 01 Apr 21
  1. The post is about killing Moloch: a literature review, fermi estimate, and policy proposal.
  2. The content is for paid subscribers only.
  3. The suggestion is to 'Just build the AGI'.

HPMOR: The Epilogue

0 implied HN points • 01 Apr 21
  1. The post is about the release of the epilogue for HPMOR
  2. The content is exclusive for paid subscribers only
  3. The author is Eliezer Yudkowsky

LessWrong isn't about Rationality

0 implied HN points • 01 Apr 21
  1. LessWrong isn't about rationality according to the post.
  2. The true motives of LessWrong are not always openly admitted.
  3. The post emphasizes that LessWrong may be more about signaling than rationality.

Birds, Brains, Planes, and AI: Against Appeals to the Complexity of the Brain

0 implied HN points • 30 Mar 21
  1. Evolution creates complex and efficient designs even when simpler ones could work well.
  2. Size and training time are key factors in developing AI compared to brain complexity.
  3. Common arguments about brain complexity not being replicable in AI may not be solid for predicting AI progress.

The Solution to the Hard Problem of Consciousness

0 implied HN points • 01 Apr 21
  1. The solution to the hard problem of consciousness involves 23 different literature reviews.
  2. A good rationalist should be able to solve it in an afternoon.
  3. Just make predictive models to figure it out.

Testing CFAR's Techniques

0 implied HN points • 01 Apr 21
  1. The post discusses testing CFAR's techniques in a self-trial with a control group.
  2. Results from the self-trial are shared in the post.
  3. The post is exclusive for paid subscribers.

A Simple Explanation of Simulacrum Level 4

0 implied HN points • 01 Apr 21
  1. The post is about Simulacrum Level 4
  2. It discusses Good Politicians, Bad Lizards, and Competent Pragmatists
  3. Some content may require payment to access