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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: New User's Guide to LessWrong, published by Ruby on May 17, 2023 on LessWrong.
(Feel free to leave comments with suggestions on how to improve this page.)
The road to wisdom? Well, it's plainand simple to express:Errand errand err againbut lessand lessand less.– Piet Hein
Why a new user guide?
Although encouraged, you don't have to read this to get started on LessWrong!
LessWrong is a pretty particular place. We strive to maintain a culture that's uncommon for web forums and to stay true to our values. Recently, many more people have been finding their way here, so I (lead admin and moderator) put together this intro to what we're about.
My hope is that if LessWrong resonates with your values and interests, this guide will help you become a valued member of community. And if LessWrong isn't the place for you, this guide will help you have a good "visit" or simply seek other pastures.
Contents of this page/email
What LessWrong is about: "Rationality"
Artificial Intelligence
How to get started
Helpful Tips
FAQ
Open & Welcome Threads
Contact the site admins
How to ensure your first post or comment is approved
Appendices
The Voting System
LessWrong moderator's toolkit
What LessWrong is about: "Rationality"
LessWrong is online forum/community that was founded with the purpose of perfecting the art of human rationality.
While truthfulness is a property of beliefs, rationality is a property of reasoning processes. Our definition of rationality is that a more rational reasoning process tends to arrive at true beliefs and good decisions more often than a less rational process. For example, a reasoning process that responds to evidence is more likely to believe true things than one that just goes with what's convenient to believe. An aspiring rationalist is someone who aspires to improve their own reasoning process to arrive at truth more often.
...a rationalist isn't just somebody who respects the Truth...All too many people respect the Truth. A rationalist is somebody who respects the processes of finding truth. – Rationality: Appreciating Cognitive Algorithms
[Aspiring] rationalists should win [at life, their goals, etc]. You know a rationalist because because they're sitting atop a pile of utility. – Rationality is systematized winning
The Art [of rationality] must have a purpose other than itself, or it collapses into infinite recursion. - the 11th virtue of rationality
On LessWrong we attempt (though don't always succeed) to apply the rationality lessons we've accumulated to any topic that interests us, and especially topics that seem important, like how to make the world a better place. We don't just care about truth in the abstract, but care about having true beliefs about things we care about so that we can make better and more successful decisions.
Right now, AI seems like one of the most (or the most) important topics for humanity. It involves many tricky questions, high stakes, and uncertainty in an unprecedented situation. On LessWrong, many users are attempting to apply their best thinking to ensure that the advent of increasingly powerful AI goes well for humanity.
Is LessWrong for you?
LessWrong is a good place for:
who values curiosity, learning, self-improvement, figuring out what's actually true (rather than just what you want to be true or just winning arguments)
who will change their mind or admit they're wrong in response to compelling evidence or argument
who wants to work collaboratively with others to figure out what's true
who likes acknowledging and quantifying uncertainty and applying lessons from probability, statistics, and decision theory to your reasoning
who is nerdy and interested in all questions of how the world works and who is not afraid to reach weird conclusions if the arguments seem valid
who likes to be pedantic and precise, and likes ...
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