Aristotelian logic was mistaken both in details and overall conception, yet its key ideas survive in contemporary rationalism.| Meta-rationality
Abstract reasoning is derived phenomenologically, developmentally, and computationally from embodied, situated, concrete activity.| Meta-rationality
An introduction to meta-rationality: ways of using rational systems more effectively by understanding how they relate to their contexts.| Meta-rationality
Propositions are whatever sort of thing it is you can believe. Nothing can play that role; so we need a different understanding of belief.| Meta-rationality
Distinguishing irrational, anti-rational, and meta-rational critiques of rationalism helps reply effectively.| Meta-rationality
From the small amount I actually read, it seems you have not considered the context of a particular sentence in relation to what its actual meaning is. Few sentences exist in isolation. Those that do are open to subjective interpretation. Language is not a rigid logical structure that can be objectively analysed for definite universal meaning. I live in New Zealand and the indigenous language spoken here is almost all poetry i.e. The word for knife is the same as the word for cut. Meaning is ...| metarationality.com
Probabilistic rationalism encourages you to view the whole world as a gigantic casino—but mostly it is not like that.| Meta-rationality
Realizing rationalism is wrong can be devastating. Antidotes to the ensuing rage, anxiety, and depression are available, fortunately!| Meta-rationality
A meta-rational organization may appear chaotic (although productive and innovative), until you notice how smoothly routine rational work gets done.| Meta-rationality
The epistemological categories—truth, belief, inference—are richer, more complex, diverse, and nebulous than rationalism supposes.| Meta-rationality
Please let me know about web site problems; I've changed the underlying tech.| Meta-rationality
If probability theory were an epistemology, we’d want it to tell us how confident to be in our beliefs. Unfortunately, it can’t do that.| Meta-rationality
Rationalism responds to its failures, in the face of nebulosity, by making more complicated formal theories.| Meta-rationality
Routine activity usually goes smoothly overall, despite frequent minor glitches, because we have methods for repairing trouble.| Meta-rationality
We actively work to perceive aspects of the world as meaningful, in terms of our purposes, in context.| Meta-rationality
Thanks, excellent question!| metarationality.com
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A glossary of unfamiliar words, and words used in uncommon ways, on this site.| Meta-rationality
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A pragmatic understanding of how systematic rationality works in practice can help you level up your technical work.| Meta-rationality
I’m really baffled by your opening, and while maybe it is a matter of rhetoric that I just don’t like, I think there is some actual disagreement. I think, in response to the meta-rationalist’s sneer, the rationalist should sneer back at the meta-rationalist for wanting to not believe in the truth sometimes. As you say later, the rationalist’s conception of truth is mistaken. So it’s not about believing in truth - one should want to believe only true things - it’s about believing i...| metarationality.com
A bridge from systematic rationality to fluid meta-rational understanding may be necessary to prevent civilizational collapse.| Meta-rationality
Defining the subject matter: rationality, rationalism, reasonableness, and meta-rationality.| Meta-rationality
Reconfiguring categories, properties, and relationships is a meta-rational skill—key in scientific revolutions.| Meta-rationality
It's natural to react to meta-rationalism with skepticism or hostility initially. You may come to delight in it.| Meta-rationality
“The map is not the territory”—what is it then? How do rational models actually work?| Meta-rationality
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In lojban “Jam?” would be translated as <rutpesxu au pei>, meaning| metarationality.com
I think a key feature of the sorts of justification practises David describes is that if you try to go too deep, you fail. You can come up with fancy theories to try to explain why people have the attitudes those do, but if you try referencing those theories when justifying an action, then it’s not likely to go down well. I mean, evo-psych for instance. Regardless of the truth or otherwise of it, most people know nothing about it, and of those that do, I bet most think it’s either some fa...| metarationality.com
This fits what I’ve been thinking about in terms of the meaning of “meaning.” Meaning is a connection between things: between words and what they refer to, between actions and intentions, etc. Reasonableness preserves these connections, even if it doesn’t always attend to all of them (e.g. butterfly effects).| metarationality.com
A summary explanation of everyday reasonable activity, with a tabular guide and a concrete example.| Meta-rationality
I enjoyed reading Computation and Human Experience, which you have recommended many times and to which you have contributed its main research. However, I apologize if there isn’t a better place to comment about the book. If there is, which this comment is entirely about, please point me in the right direction (including moving the discussion elsewhere).| metarationality.com
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Everyday reasonableness is the foundation of technical, formal, and systematic rationality.| Meta-rationality
Rationalist theories of action try to deduce optimal choices from true beliefs. This is rarely possible in practice.| Meta-rationality
The mistaken belief that statistical methods can tell you what to believe drove the science replication crisis.| Meta-rationality
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A surreal, postmodern review of Ken Wilber’s book Boomeritis, which seems to be about my work at the MIT Artificial Intelligence Lab.| Meta-rationality