Can group identity be a force for good?

Many in the rationalist sphere look down on tribalism and group identity. Paul Graham writes that identity interferes with people's ability to have a productive discussion. Julia Galef seconds this view (though with exceptions), devoting a chapter of Scout Mindset to the ways that identity interferes with clear thinking. Eliezer Yudkowsky makes a similar point …

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Virtue points

One great way to hold yourself accountable to your goals and resolutions is Beeminder. Beeminder is an app that works as such: You give them your credit card information.You set goals (exercise for 15 minutes today; finish the report by Monday; read Wuthering Heights by February) along with wagers ($5; $20; $50).When a deadline passes, …

My favorite puzzles from the 2020 MIT Mystery Hunt

[Content warning: spoilers for the 2020 MIT Mystery Hunt. With one exception, the spoilers are in footnotes (unless you have a broad conception of what constitutes a spoiler).] There are many things in this world. In order for something to be one of my favorite things, I need to like it quite a lot. It's …

Predictions for 2020

In the spirit of Slate Star Codex, I will be offering some of my predictions for 2020. In January 2021 I will return to these and grade them. The predictions fall into three categories: US Politics (there are many of these since it's an election year), Personal (predictions about what I will do next year), …