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# Minimum Viable Workout Routine is Dangerously Misinformative
Edit: Dangerously misleading on _one_ crucial point.
This started out as a short reply to the Less Wrong post [Minimum Viable Workout Routine](/r/discussion/lw/d7h/minimum_viable_workout_routine/). Unfortunately I was unable to summarise my points suffici... | https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/ehAXv5cANo5hYKChu/minimum-viable-workout-routine-is-dangerously-misinformative |
# Seeking a "Seeking Whence 'Seek Whence'" Sequence
One of the sharpest and most important tools in the LessWrong cognitive toolkit is the idea of _going meta_, also called _seeking whence_ or _jumping out of the system,_ all terms crafted by Douglas Hofstadter_._ Though popularized by Hofstadter and repeatedly emphas... | https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/c7KyL6G3482f9eGZ5/seeking-a-seeking-whence-seek-whence-sequence |
# A (small) critique of total utilitarianism
In total utilitarianism, it is a morally neutral act to kill someone (in a painless and unexpected manner) and creating/giving birth to another being of comparable happiness (or preference satisfaction or welfare). In fact if one can kill a billion people to create a billio... | https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/pyTuR4ZbLfqpS2oMh/a-small-critique-of-total-utilitarianism |
# Bounded versions of Gödel's and Löb's theorems
While writing up decision theory results, I had to work out bounded versions of [Gödel's second incompleteness theorem](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G%C3%B6del's_incompleteness_theorems#Second_incompleteness_theorem) and [Löb's theorem](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%C3... | https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/z7SuGwxTBnQm8uFq4/bounded-versions-of-goedel-s-and-loeb-s-theorems |
# Introduction to Game Theory: Sequence Guide
This sequence of posts is a primer on game theory intended at an introductory level. Because it is introductory, Less Wrong veterans may find some parts boring, obvious, or simplistic - although hopefully nothing is so simplistic as to be outright wrong.
Parts of this... | https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/QxZs5Za4qXBegXCgu/introduction-to-game-theory-sequence-guide |
# Call for volunteers: Publishing the Sequences
The Singularity Institute is in the process of publishing Eliezer Yudkowsky’s [Sequences](http://wiki.lesswrong.com/wiki/Sequences) of rationality posts as an electronic book. The Sequen... | https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/GmBepDxQx9PNaNz6v/call-for-volunteers-publishing-the-sequences |
# Nash Equilibria and Schelling Points
A Nash equilibrium is an outcome in which neither player is willing to unilaterally change her strategy, and they are often applied to games in which both players move simultaneously and where decision trees are less useful.
Suppose my girlfriend and I have both lost our cell ph... | https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/yJfBzcDL9fBHJfZ6P/nash-equilibria-and-schelling-points |
# Scholarship: how to tell good advice from bad advice?
Lukeprog has done some great posts talking about [how scholarship has benefited him personally](/lw/9fy/leveling_up_in_rationality_a_personal_journey/) and [how to do it.](/lw/5me/scholarship_how_to_do_it_efficiently/) However, he hasn't talked much about how to ... | https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/XiN8AusAke5dzX6Mt/scholarship-how-to-tell-good-advice-from-bad-advice |
# The Fiction Genome Project
The **Music** Genome Project is what powers [Pandora](http://www.pandora.com/restricted). According to Wikipedia:
> The Music Genome Project was first conceived by Will Glaser and Tim Westergren in late 1999. In January 2000, they joined forces with Jon Kraft to found Pandora Media to bri... | https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/ygSvkNd2CmPqiQxLy/the-fiction-genome-project |
# Hedonic vs Preference Utilitarianism in the Context of Wireheading
We're probably going to develop the technology to directly produce pleasure in the brain with [electrical stimulation](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brain_stimulation_reward). We [already do this](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deep_Brain_Stimulation) t... | https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/h9DMcvqhmTeF2MWbd/hedonic-vs-preference-utilitarianism-in-the-context-of |
# Formalising cousin_it's bounded versions of Gödel's theorem
In this post, I'll try and put cousin_it's [bounded version of Gödel's theorem](/lw/dba/bounded_versions_of_g%C3%B6dels_and_l%C3%B6bs_theorems/) on a rigorous footing. This will be logic-heavy, not programming heavy. The key unproved assumptions are listed ... | https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/cW45ADhbckFDomAEv/formalising-cousin_it-s-bounded-versions-of-goedel-s-theorem |
# Introduction to Prisoners' Dilemma
**Related to:** [Previous posts on the Prisoners' Dilemma](http://wiki.lesswrong.com/wiki/Prisoner%27s_dilemma)
Sometimes Nash equilibria just don't match our intuitive criteria for a good outcome. The classic example is the Prisoners' Dilemma.
The police arrest two criminals, Al... | https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/QdXrkWoK2Pp6XhNuQ/introduction-to-prisoners-dilemma |
# Backward Reasoning Over Decision Trees
Game theory is the study of how rational actors interact to pursue incentives. It starts with the same questionable premises as economics: that everyone behaves rationally, that everyone is purely self-interested1, and that desires can be exactly quantified - and uses them to i... | https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/EhEZoTFzys9EDmEXn/backward-reasoning-over-decision-trees |
# Thoughts on moral intuitions
The style in the following article is slightly different from most LW articles, due to the fact that I [originally posted this](http://xuenay.livejournal.com/345356.html) on [my blog](http://xuenay.livejournal.com). Some folks on #lesswrong liked it, so I thought it might be liked here a... | https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/fEFwHBeatkaKpm8ZB/thoughts-on-moral-intuitions |
# Aubrey de Grey has responded to his IAMA - Now with Transcript!
Watch the video response here: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-tsI_28O3Ws](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-tsI_28O3Ws)
This was posted here on lesswrong a while ago, but they recently uploaded a new version of the video and I took the liberty of typin... | https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/ReSqnpwWh4K786JPc/aubrey-de-grey-has-responded-to-his-iama-now-with-transcript |
# Summary of "How to Win Friends and Influence People"
In the very back of Kaj's excellent [How to Run a Successful Less Wrong Meetup Group](/lw/crs/how_to_run_a_successful_less_wrong_meetup/) booklet, he has a recommended reading section, including the classic book How to Win Friends and Influence People.
It just so... | https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/mWvKuG2XysMsgX7sd/summary-of-how-to-win-friends-and-influence-people |
# New York Less Wrong: Expansion Plans
**Followup To:** [New York City, Case Study of a Successful Rationalist Chapter](/lw/4ul/less_wrong_nyc_case_study_of_a_successful/); [Epistle to the New York Less Wrongians](/lw/5c0/epistle_to_the_new_york_less_wrongians/)
Last week, the New York Less Wrong group hosted the [... | https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/YThw4sodANTDLLWf7/new-york-less-wrong-expansion-plans |
# Hope Function
Yesterday I finished transcribing [**"The Ups and Downs of the Hope Function In a Fruitless Search**](http://www.gwern.net/docs/1994-falk)**"**. This is a statistics & psychology paper describing a simple probabilistic search problem and the sheer difficulty subjects have in producing the correct Bayes... | https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/7gyBiGroJykJvB3eo/hope-function |
# Wisdom of the Crowd: not always so wise
I have a confession to make: I have been not "publishing" my results to an experiment because the results were uninteresting. You may recall some time ago that I [made a post](/lw/97l/poll_wisdom_of_the_crowd_experiment/) asking people to take a survey so that I could look at ... | https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/9f5qxXDdudfzz4YpC/wisdom-of-the-crowd-not-always-so-wise |
# E.T. Jaynes and Hugh Everett - includes a previously unpublished review by Jaynes of a published short version of Everett's dissertation
E.T. Jaynes had a brief exchange of correspondence with Hugh Everett in 1957. The exchange was initiated by Everett, who commented on recently published works by Jaynes. Jaynes res... | https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/tPXn6qpWw9BZAikNQ/e-t-jaynes-and-hugh-everett-includes-a-previously |
# New "Best" comment sorting system
Way back in October 2009 Reddit introduced their "Best" comment sorting system. We've just pulled those changes into Less Wrong. The changes affect only comments, not stories.
It's good. It should significantly improve the visibility of good comments posted later in the life of an ... | https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/NwbQFJ8n7rsQkpN8b/new-best-comment-sorting-system |
# Less Wrong Product & Service Recommendations
I have often benefited from recommendations for Things I Didn't Know I Wanted.
Given that Less Wrong is a community of unusually intelligent, critical, and self-improvement-focused people, I suspect we can generate a pretty helpful thread of product recommendations — per... | https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/3ibmxAsvmFftXmYHX/less-wrong-product-and-service-recommendations |
# Malthusian copying: mass death of unhappy life-loving uploads
Robin Hanson has done a [great](http://hanson.gmu.edu/uploads.html) [job](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2GIirg43sU) of describing the future world and economy, under the assumption that easily copied "uploads" ([whole brain emulations](http://www.fhi.ox... | https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/ynyemLY8YWX8rQ84f/malthusian-copying-mass-death-of-unhappy-life-loving-uploads |
# Learn Power Searching with Google
> Google Search makes it amazingly easy to find information. Come learn about the powerful advanced tools we provide to help you find just the right information when the stakes are high.
Daniel Russell is doing a free [Google class on how to search the web](http://www.google.com/i... | https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/Bsa325tntncXWX4uJ/learn-power-searching-with-google |
# Real World Solutions to Prisoners' Dilemmas
Why should there be real world solutions to Prisoners' Dilemmas? Because such dilemmas are a real-world problem.
If I am assigned to work on a school project with a group, I can either cooperate (work hard on the project) or defect (slack off while reaping the rewards of ... | https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/BroeiXGh9PrKZEkJ5/real-world-solutions-to-prisoners-dilemmas |
# Where to Intervene in a Human?
The "[What is Rationality?](http://www.appliedrationality.org/rationality/)" page on [the new CFAR website](http://www.appliedrationality.org/) contains an illuminating story about Intel:
> Semiconductor giant Intel was originally a memory chip manufacturer. But by 1985, memory chips ... | https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/WkGBBiF6C9zqtR82R/where-to-intervene-in-a-human |
# Irrationality Game II
I was very interested in the discussions and opinions that grew out of the last time [this](/lw/2sl/the_irrationality_game/) was played, but find digging through 800+ comments for a new game to start on the same thread annoying. I [also](/r/discussion/lw/df7/more_irrationality_game/6y6c) don't ... | https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/fufh5NEjKeMRgAkcd/irrationality-game-ii |
# [Link] Why the kids don’t know no algebra
[Post](http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/gnxp/2012/07/why-the-kids-dont-know-no-algebra/) by fellow LW reader Razib Khan, who many here probably know from the [gnxp site](http://www.gnxp.com/) or perhaps from his [debate with Eliezer](/lw/1qu/bhtv_eliezer_yudkowsky_razib_kh... | https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/rgi9mHZ4Q4WNEpeSb/link-why-the-kids-don-t-know-no-algebra |
# We prosecute CEOs for failing to do due diligence. But with people, we call it 'faith'
I wrote the following on my blog last night. I thought that I'd run it past an intelligent audience. Note that what I have referred to as an idea is what we here at lesswrong would call a 'belief'. I changed the name to remove any... | https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/skqYPuD9Gzb3aFc6f/we-prosecute-ceos-for-failing-to-do-due-diligence-but-with |
# What have you recently tried, and failed at?
Kaj Sotala [said](/lw/cu2/the_power_of_reinforcement/6vj5):
> \[I\]f you punish yourself for trying and failing, you stop wanting to try in the first place, as it becomes associated with the negative emotions. Also, accepting and being okay with the occasional failure ma... | https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/4jpAkMNhk2tytbNyX/what-have-you-recently-tried-and-failed-at |
# Should you try to do good work on LW?
I used to advocate trying to do good work on LW. Now I'm not sure, let me explain why.
It's certainly true that good work stays valuable no matter where you're doing it. Unfortunately, the standards of "good work" are largely defined by where you're doing it. If you're in acade... | https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/nFwHtnfLZ9QWia7Zu/should-you-try-to-do-good-work-on-lw |
# On the Care and Feeding of Young Rationalists -- Revisited[Draft] [Request for Feedback]
**Planned top-level post -- any feedback very much welcome.**
Obviously a followup to: [On the Care and Feeding of Young Rationalists](/lw/25/on_the_care_and_feeding_of_young_rationalists/)
My very first top-level post on ... | https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/5QLBA96ZQfR3tHrFq/on-the-care-and-feeding-of-young-rationalists-revisited |
# Negative and Positive Selection
_(Originally [posted](http://rationalconspiracy.com/2012/06/19/negative-and-positive-selection/) to my blog, [The Rationalist Conspiracy](http://www.rationalconspiracy.com); cross-posted here on request of Lukeprog.)_
You’re the captain of a team, and you want to select really good p... | https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/LsXtcLyzyfGg3gT5R/negative-and-positive-selection |
# Interlude for Behavioral Economics
The so-called “rational” solutions to the Prisoners' Dilemma and Ultimatum Game are suboptimal to say the least. Humans have various kludges added by both nature or nurture to do better, but they're not perfect and they're certainly not simple. They leave entirely open the question... | https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/Yy7mgec8tsbTAuTqb/interlude-for-behavioral-economics |
# To Learn Critical Thinking, Study Critical Thinking
> [Critical thinking](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Critical_thinking) courses may increase students’ rationality, especially if they do [argument mapping](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argument_map).
The following excerpts are from [“Does philosophy improve critica... | https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/MGtKNd5GBXN5oNj7p/to-learn-critical-thinking-study-critical-thinking |
# Rationality Games & Apps Brainstorming
Last month, mobile gaming superstar [Angry Birds](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angry_Birds) was [out-sold in some countries](http://www.wired.com/geekdad/2012/06/dragonbox/all/) by [DragonBox](http://dragonboxapp.com/), a kids game in which players _solve alegbra equations_.
H... | https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/CNZQesEh6Ts5G2r7b/rationality-games-and-apps-brainstorming |
# Advice On Getting A Software Job
_(Note to LWers: This post was written for a general audience at [my blog](http://rationalconspiracy.com/2012/07/09/getting-a-software-job/), but I think it's particularly applicable to Less Wrong, as many here are already interested in programming. Programming is also an important r... | https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/cKyMoRotH7yGhTPun/advice-on-getting-a-software-job |
# How Bayes' theorem is consistent with Solomonoff induction
You've read the [introduction to Bayes' theorem](http://yudkowsky.net/rational/bayes/). You've read the [introduction to Solomonoff induction](/lw/dhg/an_intuitive_explanation_of_solomonoff_induction/). Both describe fundamental theories of epistemic rationa... | https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/5pgsbB5sqC2wLwr4d/how-bayes-theorem-is-consistent-with-solomonoff-induction |
# Low hanging fruit: Websites that significantly improve your life?
It suddenly occurred to me that not everyone uses a website I love. Of all the websites I browse if you asked me which one improves my standard of living in the largest, most concrete way, it would be slickdeals.
What it is: a community driven "hot ... | https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/v9Jha3MR74Tb5nbxe/low-hanging-fruit-websites-that-significantly-improve-your |
# Steam Greenlight
I know there is interest among this community in building rationality oriented games as teaching tools. Today we announced Steam Greenlight. We're essentially turning the game approval process over to the community. It may be possible for quality rationality games produced by the Less Wrong communit... | https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/YtwwLfXKn4AeDrew8/steam-greenlight |
# Reply to Holden on The Singularity Institute
Holden Karnofsky of [GiveWell](http://www.givewell.org/) has [objected](/lw/cbs/thoughts_on_the_singularity_institute_si/) to the Singularity Institute (SI) as a target for [optimal](/lw/3gj/efficient_charity_do_unto_others/) [philanthropy](/lw/6py/optimal_philanthropy_fo... | https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/5GskScdvYXBpL78wL/reply-to-holden-on-the-singularity-institute |
# Rationality and Cancer
Today, my dentist found a possible oral cancer.
I'm 31, a non-smoker, in good health. I know the research showing that doctors ignore base rates and overestimate your chances of cancer. (I asked the doctor the base rate, he didn't know.) I know that we grossly overprescribe biopsies and s... | https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/Qxkv7xoDyHpnwPtCM/rationality-and-cancer |
# An Intuitive Explanation of Solomonoff Induction
This is the completed article that Luke wrote the [first half of](/lw/8nr/intuitive_explanation_of_solomonoff_induction/). My thanks go to the following for reading, editing, and commenting; Luke Muehlhauser, Louie Helm, Benjamin Noble, and Francelle Wax.
, especially when ... | https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/kK5rabDsKWMkup7gw/kurzweil-s-predictions-good-accuracy-poor-self-calibration |
# Useful maxims
In a New York shop, I once got pressure-sold something expensive I didn't really want; when I said it cost too much, I was asked what I might be prepared to pay, and we ended up haggling. Since then, I've had a rule:
* If it's a non trivial price, never decide to buy while you're in the shop
and I... | https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/kygDQHagScPj87KFP/useful-maxims |
# What Is Optimal Philanthropy?
Much has been written about the idea of [_optimal philanthropy_](/lw/3gj/efficient_charity_do_unto_others/). Yet, it seems like optimal philanthropy isn't a single claim. Instead, it's a collection of related, but quite distinct, claims that have all been bundled together, much like the... | https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/mTeWmzrgtkZo7Ynt2/what-is-optimal-philanthropy |
# What Is Signaling, Really?
The most commonly used introduction to signaling, promoted both [by Robin Hanson](http://www.overcomingbias.com/2007/01/excess_signalin.html) and in [_The Art of Strategy_](http://www.amazon.com/The-Art-Strategy-Theorists-Business/dp/0393062430), starts with college degrees. Suppose, there... | https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/KheBaeW8Pi7LwewoF/what-is-signaling-really |
# PZ Myers on the Infeasibility of Whole Brain Emulation
From: **[http://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/2012/07/14/and-everyone-gets-a-robot-pony/](http://freethoughtblogs.com/pharyngula/2012/07/14/and-everyone-gets-a-robot-pony/)**
> I’ve worked with tiny little zebrafish brains, things a few hundred microns long o... | https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/4Y5hjr32xfTKkRtrS/pz-myers-on-the-infeasibility-of-whole-brain-emulation |
# Berkeley visit report
A few weeks ago, [ShannonFriedman](/user/ShannonFriedman/), an IFS counselor living in Berkeley, posted [Female compatriots stay for a week in Berkeley](/lw/d6s/female_compatriots_stay_for_a_week_in_berkeley/) an offer for rationalist women who are agenty to stay in her spare room for a few day... | https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/xQoMYN7ZKoKTA4NqP/berkeley-visit-report |
# Why could you be optimistic that the Singularity is Near?
A while ago I [wrote briefly](http://www.gwern.net/Mistakes#near-singularity) on why the Singularity might not be near and my estimates badly off. I saw it linked the other day, and realized that pessimism seemed to be trendy lately, which meant I ought to wo... | https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/veEumGEQAsDknw9PC/why-could-you-be-optimistic-that-the-singularity-is-near |
# Magic players: "How do I lose?"
An excellent habit that I've noticed among professional players of the game Magic: The Gathering is asking the question "how do I lose?" - a sort of strategic [looking into the dark](/lw/iw/positive_bias_look_into_the_dark/).
Imagine this situation: you have an army ready to destroy ... | https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/tDSpuCyKve7rpPG6d/magic-players-how-do-i-lose |
# Bargaining and Auctions
Some people have things. Other people want them. Economists agree that the eventual price will be set by supply and demand, but both parties have tragically misplaced their copies of the _Big Book Of Levels Of Supply And Demand For All Goods_. They're going to have to decide on a price by the... | https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/um7w5RogAHhxGy8Ti/bargaining-and-auctions |
# Revisiting SI's 2011 strategic plan: How are we doing?
[Progress updates](http://intelligence.org/blog/category/monthly-progress/) are nice, but without a previously defined metric for success it's hard to know whether an organization's ac... | https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/FD85FtP3tyHAarvwx/revisiting-si-s-2011-strategic-plan-how-are-we-doing |
# Tips for Starting Group Houses
I've lived in several intentional communities and have been one of the creators of two that I've lived in. After recently securing Zendo, I wrote up some tips to a friend who is thinking about starting another Berkeley house, which [Nisan](/user/Nisan) pointed out might be valuable to ... | https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/idWa2z998xv4ozRP6/tips-for-starting-group-houses |
# Exploiting the Typical Mind Fallacy for more accurate questioning?
I was reading Yvain's [Generalizing from One Example](/lw/dr/generalizing_from_one_example/), which talks about the typical mind fallacy. Basically, it describes how humans assume that all other humans are like them. If a person doesn't cheat on te... | https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/hGe6p5Mk5KwuP49kK/exploiting-the-typical-mind-fallacy-for-more-accurate |
# Welcome to Less Wrong! (July 2012)
If you've recently joined the [Less Wrong community](/lw/1/about_less_wrong), please leave a comment here and introduce yourself. We'd love to know who you are, what you're doing, what you value, [how you came to identify as a rationalist](/lw/2/tell_your_rationalist_origin_story) ... | https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/h2aZTRmZGAJAhuwS3/welcome-to-less-wrong-july-2012 |
# Take Part in CFAR Rationality Surveys
Posted By: Dan Keys, CFAR Survey Coordinator
The [Center for Applied Rationality](http://appliedrationality.org/) is trying to develop better methods for measuring and studying the benefits of rationality. We want to be able to test if this rationality stuff actually works... | https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/KJbthz9Lr2PdNpgJ3/take-part-in-cfar-rationality-surveys |
# In Defense of Tone Arguments
Suppose, for a moment, you're a strong proponent of Glim, a fantastic new philosophy of ethics that will maximize truth, happiness, and all things good, just as soon as 51% of the population accepts it as the true way; once it has achieved majority status, careful models in game theory s... | https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/dXsQHSa62FLuode48/in-defense-of-tone-arguments |
# Imperfect Voting Systems
Stalin once (supposedly) said that “He who casts the votes determines nothing; he who counts the votes determines everything “ But he was being insufficiently cynical. He who chooses the voting system may determine just as much as the other two players.
[_The Art of Strategy_](http://ww... | https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/xNBRkPNHAGQ6EQaLS/imperfect-voting-systems |
# SI's Summer 2012 Matching Drive Ends July 31st
The Singularity Institute's [summer 2012 matching drive](http://intelligence.org/blog/2012/07/03/summer-challenge/) ends on July 31st! Donate by the end of the month to have your gift matched, dollar for dollar.
As of this posting, SI has raised $70,000 of the $150,000... | https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/29EQr3xtc7jpLyobQ/si-s-summer-2012-matching-drive-ends-july-31st |
# Work on Security Instead of Friendliness?
> So I submit the only useful questions we can ask are not about AGI, "goals", and other such anthropomorphic, infeasible, irrelevant, and/or hopelessly vague ideas. We can only usefully ask computer security questions. For example some researchers I know believe we can achi... | https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/m8FjhuELdg7iv6boW/work-on-security-instead-of-friendliness |
# HP:MOR and the Radio Fallacy
No plot spoilers here, just wanted to flag a bit of poor reasoning that shows up in [Chapter 39](http://hpmor.com/chapter/39):
> I shouldn't have believed it even for all of thirty seconds! Because if people had souls there wouldn't be any such thing as brain damage, if your soul could ... | https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/siFaJYuPDNLCGz2b6/hp-mor-and-the-radio-fallacy |
# A Marriage Ceremony for Aspiring Rationalists
Recently, LWers [Will Ryan](http://effectivenessforgeeks.com/) and [Divia Melwani](http://meaningandmagic.com/) (now Will and Divia Eden) were married, with Eliezer Yudkowsky officiating.
I've been to 40+ weddings in my lifetime, and this was my favorite ceremony yet. [... | https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/TTanRyNTvKXgqqv3u/a-marriage-ceremony-for-aspiring-rationalists |
# Evolutionary psychology as "the truth-killer"
So, a little background- I've just come out as an atheist to my dad, a Christian pastor, who's convinced he can "fix" my thinking and is bombarding me with a number of flimsy arguments that I'm having trouble articulating a response to, and need help shutting down. The p... | https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/XaCrStDecTrMLbsty/evolutionary-psychology-as-the-truth-killer |
# Game Theory As A Dark Art
One of the most charming features of game theory is the almost limitless depths of evil to which it can sink.
Your garden-variety evils act against your values. Your better class of evil, like Voldemort and the folk-tale version of Satan, use your greed to trick _you_ into acting again... | https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/A2Qam9Bd9xpbb2wLQ/game-theory-as-a-dark-art |
# [Paper] Simulation of a complete cell
["A Whole-Cell Computational Model Predicts Phenotype from Genotype"](http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2012.05.044) by Jonathan Karr et al.
This paper appeared a few days ago in Cell, and describes a computational simulation of the bacterium _Mycoplasma genitalium_, conducted a... | https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/FjwgF64d2kKMgCJRw/paper-simulation-of-a-complete-cell |
# Article about LW: Faith, Hope, and Singularity: Entering the Matrix with New York’s Futurist Set
[Faith, Hope, and Singularity: Entering the Matrix with New York’s Futurist Set](http://betabeat.com/2012/07/singularity-institute-less-wrong-peter-thiel-eliezer-yudkowsky-ray-kurzweil-harry-potter-methods-of-rationality... | https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/44GibdAwuetTXrQgd/article-about-lw-faith-hope-and-singularity-entering-the |
# Neuroscience basics for LessWrongians
The origins of this article are in my [partial transcript](/lw/bug/partial_transcript_of_the_hansonyudkowsky_june/) of the live June 2011 debate between Robin Hanson and Eliezer Yudkowsky. While I still feel like I don't entirely understand his arguments, a few of his comments a... | https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/xWTSHJASRaLABgHWc/neuroscience-basics-for-lesswrongians |
# The Mere Cable Channel Addition Paradox
The following is a dialogue intended to illustrate what I think may be a serious logical flaw in some of the conclusions drawn from the famous [Mere Addition Paradox](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mere_addition_paradox).
EDIT: To make this clearer, the interpretation of the ... | https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/prEZkHYawwnhzswyf/the-mere-cable-channel-addition-paradox |
# Is Politics the Mindkiller? An Inconclusive Test
Or is the convention against discussing politics here silly?
I propose a test. I'm going to try to lay down some rules on voting on comments for the test here (not that I can force anybody to abide by them):
1.) Top-level comments should introduce arguments (or rid... | https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/THWYgvqTdyHkmpFgE/is-politics-the-mindkiller-an-inconclusive-test |
# Notes on the Psychology of Power
Luke/SI asked me to look into what the academic literature might have to say about people in positions of power. This is a summary of some of the recent psychology results.
The powerful or elite are: fast-planning abstract thinkers who take action (1) in order to pursue single/minim... | https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/Ft2Cm9tWtcLNFLrMw/notes-on-the-psychology-of-power |
# Reinforcement Learning: A Non-Standard Introduction (Part 1)
Imagine that the world is divided into two parts: one we shall call the agent and the rest - its environment. Imagine you could describe in full detail the state of both the agent and the environment. The state of the agent is denoted M: it could be a Mind... | https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/HPAjhrbYk6rPbpSXx/reinforcement-learning-a-non-standard-introduction-part-1 |
# Why space stopped captivating minds ?
This article http://www.huffingtonpost.com/andrew-kessler/why-you-should-be-more-interested-in-mars-than-the-olympics\_b\_1712462.html -- ok, I admit, I read Slashdot sometimes, no one is perfect ;) -- made me wonder why the awesomeness of space conquest stopped motivating peopl... | https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/ok59AcDnQK65P9tE9/why-space-stopped-captivating-minds |
# [Link] Why prison doesn't work and what to do about it
link: [http://www.philosophersbeard.org/2012/07/why-prison-doesnt-work-and-what-to-do.html](http://www.philosophersbeard.org/2012/07/why-prison-doesnt-work-and-what-to-do.html)
I came across this short well-reasoned essay via reddit, but most of the discussion ... | https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/NonW42WkLfNh7FBk7/link-why-prison-doesn-t-work-and-what-to-do-about-it |
# Brain structure - scans reveal an amazingly regular pattern
[http://www.nih.gov/news/health/mar2012/nimh-29.htm](http://www.nih.gov/news/health/mar2012/nimh-29.htm) has images of human and monkey brain scans which reveal an amazingly grid-like pattern of neuronal connections. What are the implications? Could brain s... | https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/Afuu6i4XNac2CCkEb/brain-structure-scans-reveal-an-amazingly-regular-pattern |
# AI cooperation is already studied in academia as "program equilibrium"
About a month ago I accidentally found out that the LW idea of [quining cooperation](/lw/do/reformalizing_pd/) is already studied in academia:
1) Moshe Tennenholtz's 2004 paper [Program Equilibrium](http://ie.technion.ac.il/~moshet/progeqnote4.p... | https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/XkNXsi6bsxxFaL5FL/ai-cooperation-is-already-studied-in-academia-as-program |
# [Retracted] Simpson's paradox strikes again: there is no great stagnation?
_ETA: The table linked by Landsburg has been called into serious question by [Evan Soltas](http://api.viglink.com/api/click?format=go&key=9f37ca02a1e3cbd4f3d0a3618a39fbca&loc=http%3A%2F%2Flesswrong.com%2Fr%2Fdiscussion%2Flw%2Fduw%2Fsimpsons_p... | https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/YcyjX655BsKr4zkSm/retracted-simpson-s-paradox-strikes-again-there-is-no-great |
# [Link] Machiavelli in historical context
In modern usage, the name "Machiavelli" is a byword for cynical, selfish scheming. In [this post](http://exurbe.com/?p=1429), a Renaissance scholar places Machiavelli the human being into historical context, illuminating that Machiavelli was not cynical so much as desirous of... | https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/7CjJdTx6CgibyjS5C/link-machiavelli-in-historical-context |
# Advice please: Cognitive distortion preventing me from accomplishing anything
The cognitive distortion is called "catastrophizing", I think.
I'm afraid of unexpected, strongly negative events occurring to me without warning. Nothing specific, just a generalized fear. That fear is crippling me. Worse, there's a p... | https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/2Ymebu9eMhxp34L7A/advice-please-cognitive-distortion-preventing-me-from |
# Looking for a roommate in Mountain View
In September I will be moving to Mountain View, CA together with a friend of mine from MIT. It turns out that the quality/cost ratio increases noticeably with the number of people living together, so we are looking for one or more additional roommates. All things being equal, ... | https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/Wxc7hxB66FTuYXQpt/looking-for-a-roommate-in-mountain-view |
# Admissions Essay Help?
I need help writing a college application essay that will maximize my chances of getting into a school that the world considers prestigious. (17 years old, preparing to enter 12^th^ grade at a central California high school as of this writing.)
Throughout high school, I resisted being over-sc... | https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/aWmPZ8Qcf7TxzoftE/admissions-essay-help |
# [Link] Holistic learning ebook
This ebook is kind of dopey, but it's one of the few resources I've seen where someone who's reasonably good at learning stuff tries to dissect and communicate the mental mechanisms they use for learning:
[http://www.scotthyoung.com/blog/Programs/HolisticLearningEBook.pdf](http://www.... | https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/hC83eKp9LFpw9FBks/link-holistic-learning-ebook |
# Issue 301 shipped: Show parent comments on /comments
See http://code.google.com/p/lesswrong/issues/detail?id=301 for detail.
Go to [your Preferences page](/prefs/) and "Show parent comments on[/comments](http://lesswrong.com/comments)" to take advantage of this feature.
(Work done by John Simon, integrated by [Use... | https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/xmkGGBfftoEbq5wae/issue-301-shipped-show-parent-comments-on-comments |
# "Epiphany addiction"
LW doesn't seem to have a discussion of the article [Epiphany Addiction](http://www.succeedsocially.com/epiphany), by Chris at succeedsocially. First paragraph:
> "Epiphany Addiction" is an informal little term I came up with to describe a process that I've observed happen to people who try to ... | https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/CZridws5zBzwfjgef/epiphany-addiction |
# Smart non-reductionists, philosophical vs. engineering mindsets, and religion
[Concretizing the abstract](http://edwardfeser.blogspot.com/2012/08/concretizing-abstract.html) is an interesting blog post in that it makes a relatively cogent argument for non-reductionism. While I don't agree with it, I found it useful ... | https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/H2SayAkY4PuMcREYu/smart-non-reductionists-philosophical-vs-engineering |
# A cynical explanation for why rationalists worry about FAI
My friend, hearing me recount tales of LessWrong, recently asked me if I thought it was simply a coincidence that so many LessWrong rationality nerds cared so much about creating Friendly AI. "If Eliezer had simply been obsessed by saving the world from aste... | https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/xDMdiiTYcZWvhjdoe/a-cynical-explanation-for-why-rationalists-worry-about-fai |
# What are the optimal biases to overcome?
If you're interested in learning rationality, where should you start? Remember, instrumental rationality is about making decisions that get you what you want -- surely there are some lessons that will help you more than others.
You might start with the most famous ones, whic... | https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/9SE67uz98kh6x2CxR/what-are-the-optimal-biases-to-overcome |
# Self-skepticism: the first principle of rationality
When Richard Feynman started [investigating irrationality](http://www.lhup.edu/~dsimanek/cargocul.htm) in the 1970s, he quickly begun to realize the problem wasn't limited to the obvious irrationalists.
Uri Geller claimed he could bend keys with his mind. But was ... | https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/NoYYBAaMRp9Y5Jnpo/self-skepticism-the-first-principle-of-rationality |
# The Doubling Box
Let's say you have a box that has a token in it that can be redeemed for 1 utilon. Every day, its contents double. There is no limit on how many utilons you can buy with these tokens. You are immortal. It is sealed, and if you open it, it becomes an ordinary box. You get the tokens it has created, b... | https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/ohcThmMPDF56v6JJ7/the-doubling-box |
# Suber, "The Ethics of Deep Self-Modification"
[Peter Suber](http://www.earlham.edu/~peters/hometoc.htm) is the Director of the [Harvard Open Access Project](http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/research/hoap), a Senior Researcher at [SPARC](http://www.arl.org/sparc/) (not [CFAR's SPARC](http://appliedrationality.org/sparc20... | https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/kMjfXymGpnrLDA6kP/suber-the-ethics-of-deep-self-modification |
# Meetup : Bratislava, Slovakia - the first LW meetup
Discussion article for the meetup : [Bratislava, Slovakia - the first LW meetup](/meetups/cm)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
**WHEN:** 18 August 2012 05:00:00PM (+0200)
**WHERE:** Bratislava, city cen... | https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/SB8x4ZX5ESju2gfbk/meetup-bratislava-slovakia-the-first-lw-meetup |
# Draft: Get Lucky
Here's a draft of an article that I want to post soon, but I figured I might as well get some feedback before I go ahead. If anyone else has exercises or experience with this I'd love to hear about it.
The popular science article version of the research mentioned can be found here: http://www.richa... | https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/4i7ovu3wn3no7SRyq/draft-get-lucky |
# Transcript: "Choice Machines, Causality, and Cooperation"
Gary Drescher's presentation at the 2009 Singularity Summit, "Choice Machines, Causality, and Cooperation," is online, at [vimeo.](http://vimeo.com/7321259) Drescher is the author of [Good and Real](http://www.amazon.com/Good-Real-Demystifying-Paradoxes-Bradf... | https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/te2ZR82QzuRkbkDAF/transcript-choice-machines-causality-and-cooperation |
# The High Impact Network (THINK) - Launching Now
[](http://www.thehighimpactnetwork.org)
[THINK, The High Impact Network](http://thehighimpactnetwork.org), is going live this week.
We're a network of Effective Altruists (EAs), looking to do the most good for the most... | https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/KEcWJSzxFzcYvyLsW/the-high-impact-network-think-launching-now |
# Natural Laws Are Descriptions, not Rules
Laws as Rules
----------------
We speak casually of the laws of nature _determining_ the distribution of matter and energy, or _governing_ the behavior of physical objects. Implicit in this rhetoric is a metaphysical picture: the laws are _rules_ that constrain the tempor... | https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/34Q5PJEaDCriijkc7/natural-laws-are-descriptions-not-rules |
# Reinforcement, Preference and Utility
**Followup to:** [Reinforcement Learning: A Non-Standard Introduction](/lw/dux/reinforcement_learning_a_nonstandard_introduction/)
A reinforcement-learning agent is interacting with its environment through the perception of observations and the performance of actions.
We descr... | https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/bPeB6RT78k8dXKYKf/reinforcement-preference-and-utility |
# Friendly AI and the limits of computational epistemology
Very soon, Eliezer is supposed to start posting a new sequence, on "Open Problems in Friendly AI". After several years in which its activities were dominated by the topic of human rationality, this ought to mark the beginning of a new phase for the Singularity... | https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/QanBKR8Fw5TsvC5E7/friendly-ai-and-the-limits-of-computational-epistemology |
# Solving the two envelopes problem
Suppose you are presented with a game. You are given a red and a blue envelope with some money in each. You are allowed to ask an independent party to open both envelopes, and tell you the ratio of blue:red amounts (but not the actual amounts). If you do, the game master replaces th... | https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/GezzauYzGTkcwgkA7/solving-the-two-envelopes-problem |
# [Link] Admitting to Bias
**Summary:** **Current social psychology research is probably on average compromised by political bias leftward**. _Conservative researchers are likely discriminated against in at least this field. More importantly papers and research that does not fit a liberal perspective faces greater ba... | https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/H7iNv58YKmzjoAd68/link-admitting-to-bias |
# A rationalist My Little Pony fanfic
For the past two months, I've been writing, and posting, roughly two thousand words a day of "[Myou've Gotta be Kidding Me](https://www.fimfiction.net/story/33512/Myou%27ve-Gotta-be-Kidding-Me)", a story set in a "My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic" fanfic universe, "[Chess Game ... | https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/2NnJrE8jY34ipLZkL/a-rationalist-my-little-pony-fanfic |
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