A New Sequence on Rationality

post by DragonGod · 2017-12-16T11:08:26.133Z · LW · GW · 0 comments

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  Chronological Sequence
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In August, I asked "What is rational"? I wasn't satisfied with any answer I received, and then decided to answer it myself; I began developing my own theory of rationality from first principles. I wrote and scrapped two drafts, and after 4 months, I've finally started the path to an answer.

Over the coming year, I plan to write this sequence, developing my theory of rationality to an acceptable level. My conception of rationality was developed from first principles, and the principles I adopted may differ (substantially even) from Lesswrong's or the mainstream's principles, so it may not be what you're used to, but I nevertheless expect it to prove useful.

Furthermore, because I'm taking a first principles approach, I would of necessity reinvent several wheels (insomuch as these wheels are useful to rationality), so a lot (possibly even the majority) of this sequence may be unoriginal. Nevertheless, where I do diverge from other conceptions of rationality is significant enough that I do not expect the two to be reconcilable.

I'll take a more free-form and less structured approach to writing the sequence, so it wouldn't be much of a sequence (in the usual sense of the term), and more of an interrelated bunch of posts. I would structure the posts into a logical order after I'm done with the sequence, and their chronological order may not be the best order in which to read them. Trying to structure the posts in logical order would probably require me to write the entire thing at once, and from my two failed attempts at doing that (and the subsequent deflation in energy which prevented me from making progress on that front for around a few weeks to a month) I don't want to take that approach. So I'll write in an unstructured style, pushing the components in the order I finish them. Upon completion, I'll stitch together all the components into a coherent whole.

I'm incredibly bad at estimating completion times for projects I undertake, so I'll only note that I plan to start next year, and I'm not sure when I'll finish.


Chronological Sequence

To be written.

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