Comment by Lerc
5 days ago
I think rationalism might be one of those things where those self identifying and those practicing might only be slightly intersecting.
So it does depend on what you mean by rationalist.
I think it is vastly more likely that those who feel like everything they say is incredibly important might just be idiots who self identify as rationalists, and those who are rationalists are doing more thinking than broadcasting.
That feels like a "no true scotsman"...
It shouldn't.
You could say there is little overlap between people who are good at basketball and those who say they are good at basketball.
That statement does not have any effect on your ability to judge them by watching them play.
> You could say there is little overlap between people who are good at basketball and those who say they are good at basketball.
Right, one could make that statement. It would be silly, but they could make it. I think most people who consider themselves good at basketball are probably better than average at basketball.
> That statement does not have any effect on your ability to judge them by watching them play.
Is the notion that someone who's not good at basketball can't recognize a good basketball player?
I'm a little confused by your metaphor.
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In the context of this discussion, rationalist should be taken to refer to people who are or have been active on LessWrong