If you want a somewhat deeper dive into the world and culture of the Rational movement, that *isn't an outright hit piece*, try Tom Chivers' "Rationalist's Guide to the Galaxy", where the journalist actually tries to understand and explain the movement from the inside view of the many mostly normal people involved, rather than analyzing it by it's greatest failures, like SBF, or conspiracy-brained a guilt by association stuff like Metz's piece or and the completely nonsensical TESCREAL argument. of course, those are useful sources if you want to declare it a dangerous cult ideology, but not if you actually want to understand it
Which is not to say that groups like the zizians, vassarites and leverage aren't real or aren't culty. But I would venture that the dynamic here is more that a bunch of open-minded people trying to change the way they live is a absolute hunting ground for cult leaders, rather than some inherent failing in "trying to be more rational" as a lifestyle
I think this basically matches what I'm saying! I'm not convinced that "Rationalism" as a movement is adequately described as simply "trying to be more rational," though.
I feel rats subculture/movement is what happens when intellectual openness to experience/ideas combined with high IQ and arrogance these two traits generate collide with autistic-like need for certainty (however you define the latter).
If you want a somewhat deeper dive into the world and culture of the Rational movement, that *isn't an outright hit piece*, try Tom Chivers' "Rationalist's Guide to the Galaxy", where the journalist actually tries to understand and explain the movement from the inside view of the many mostly normal people involved, rather than analyzing it by it's greatest failures, like SBF, or conspiracy-brained a guilt by association stuff like Metz's piece or and the completely nonsensical TESCREAL argument. of course, those are useful sources if you want to declare it a dangerous cult ideology, but not if you actually want to understand it
Which is not to say that groups like the zizians, vassarites and leverage aren't real or aren't culty. But I would venture that the dynamic here is more that a bunch of open-minded people trying to change the way they live is a absolute hunting ground for cult leaders, rather than some inherent failing in "trying to be more rational" as a lifestyle
I think this basically matches what I'm saying! I'm not convinced that "Rationalism" as a movement is adequately described as simply "trying to be more rational," though.
I feel rats subculture/movement is what happens when intellectual openness to experience/ideas combined with high IQ and arrogance these two traits generate collide with autistic-like need for certainty (however you define the latter).