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Welcome to The Nonlinear Library, where we use Text-to-Speech software to convert the best writing from the Rationalist and EA communities into audio. This is: LessWrong Community Weekend 2023 – Applications Open, published by Henry Prowbell on May 1, 2023 on LessWrong.
Previous attendees can skip to the application form and note that we’re processing applications in 3 batches this year. If you need to know quickly whether you’re being offered a place, apply by May 15th to be included in batch 1.
September 22-25th is the 10th annual LessWrong Community Weekend (LWCW). This is Europe's largest rationalist social gathering which brings together 150 aspiring rationalists from across Europe and beyond for four days of socialising, fun and intellectual exploration.
The majority of the content will be unconference style and participant driven. On Friday afternoon we put up six wall-sized daily planners and by Saturday morning the attendees fill them up with 100+ workshops, talks and activities of their own devising.
Previous years’ schedules have included.
Double Cruxing
Hamming Circles
Gendlin Focusing
Applied Rationality workshops by CFAR instructors and instructors-in-training
Circling
Authentic Relating games
Improv theatre
Introduction to stand up comedy
Writing rationalist fiction
Dance workshops
Acapella singing
Icebreaker games
Lightning talks
Celebrating failure groups
Giant outdoor chess Penultima
Dungeons & Dragons
Kung Fu basics
Board games
Breathwork workshops
Ecstatic dancing
Radical Honesty workshops
Playfighting for adults
Polyamory and relationships workshops
Sex Q&A roundtable
Quantified self workshops
Moral philosophy debates
AI safety Q&A
How to handle fear of AI Doom
Value drift in EA
The neurobiology of psychedelics
The science of longevity
Morning runs and yoga
Meditation in the rooftop winter garden
Night time swimming
Ted Chiang and Greg Egan bedtime story readings
If things like ecstatic dancing, radical honesty and polyamory workshops sound too intense for you, rest assured everything is optional. (I’m British and very awkward so a lot of this stuff terrifies me.)
The event takes place in the natural environs of Lake Wannsee on the outskirts of Berlin. So you can spend some time recharging in between making new friends by hiking in the forests, sunbathing or swimming in the lake.
For those who want to extend their stay in Berlin, there will very likely be meetups arranged in the days before and after the event too.
LWCW is LGBTQIA+ friendly, people are welcome to bring their children (potentially there will be a professional childminder provided throughout) and this year we’re putting extra effort into creating an event where people of all ages, genders, backgrounds and adjacent interests (EA, circling, philosophy, meditation.) feel at home.
This event has a special place in my heart and I truly think there’s nothing else quite like it. It’s where I’ve made friends who have more in common with me than I knew was possible and it’s where I’ve been introduced to ideas that have altered the course of my life – which is something I never truly got from the online version of LessWrong.
Essential Information
When: Friday 22nd September - Monday 25th September 2023
Where: jh-wannsee.de (Berlin)
Prices: Nobody makes any money from this event and the organiser team are unpaid. All your money goes into paying for the venue, food, equipment and other expenses.
Regular ticket: €200
Supporter ticket: €250/300/400
If you want to attend but the ticket or travel cost is the only thing holding you back send us a message briefly explaining your situation. We have a small fund set aside for people who require financial aid.
Apply here: http://tiny.cc/LWCW2023signup
Contact: If you have any questions post them in the comments section below or email lwcw.europe[at]gmail.com
Schedule
Friday lunch: Meet in central Berlin at lunchtime for covid tests and vegan food followed by a short bus journey to JH Wannsee (all included in ...
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