Rationalist Movies (Spoilers for the film Limitless)

I recommend the movie. At the very least, it has cool shiny fight scenes, but it also has a very positive portrayal of increased intelligence and rationality ("I knew what I had to do, and how to do it"), which avoids many of its pitfalls.

• He has very little undeserved hubris -- pretty much everything he claims to be able to do he can back up.

• He acts fairly genre-savvy, and takes reasonable precautions like hiring bodyguards and investigating the source of his powers.

• He avoids most intelligence stereotypes, becoming smarter actually makes him much more empathetic and cooler as a person. He gets his heads out of the clouds and starts actually accomplishing things.

Interestingly, many reviews chide the movie for allowing the protagonist to win at the end, with statements like "Working from Alan Glynn’s novel The Dark Fields, Burger and screenwriter Leslie Dixon are so content with keeping him on the fast track that they lose any sense of moral depth or consequence. It’s a small victory for flash in its eternal war with substance, but in this case, the flash is enough."

A few comments:

• Several parts of it were actually reminiscent of Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality, particularly the scene in which the girlfriend quickly scopes out everything around her that's lethal.

• All of the downsides of the drug were portrayed as purely technical problems, which can be surmounted with reasonable intelligence.

• It's worth noting that to the protagonist, these are only means to some (presumably world improving, but vaguely defined) end. His newfound status and power don't seem to corrupt him, and he seems to get out of finance as soon as he's happy with how much money he has.

Don't forget the pill also practically eliminates akrasia. He was almost unable to NOT do what he knew he should do.

I thought for sure it would be a caveman science fiction movie. Maybe I'll actually see it.

I saw it and had some similar reflections. Got me thinking about what a highly optimized rational man would look like.

It wasn't perfect by any standards but had some great cinematography and ideas flowing around. If you can forgive the gaping loopholes you'll enjoy the ride.

He uses this new power to finish his book, get back together with his girlfriend, become rich, and eventually become president of the united states. Incidentally he gets in shape, establishes himself as high status at top tier social events, learns many new languages, and sleeps with a bunch of women.

How would it work if everyone had this power?

Doesn't being rich require that others be poor?

Only one person can become president at a time.

Doesn't being at the top tier of social events (or anything) mean that there needs to be sub tiers?

"Sleeps with a bunch of women": this seems to answer the above problems. Humans would be so busy "sleeping" with each other they'd have little time or use for money, politics, or meaningless social gatherings. Food would still be important. I'd like to think art would be too. Sex, food, and transformative experiences. A return to the animal kingdom. That makes me almost hopeful.

But, I have this all wrong, don't I. I'm going back to the sequences now....