Rationalism Post-Mortem

I just realized Rationalism was a bunch of Communists who were dead sure they could Rationally demonstrate the validity of Communism. It turns out the opposite of that obtains, so they dropped rationalism.

Well, again. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cult_of_Reason
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brights_movement

You can safely look at the "Enlightenment" two ways. 1) a bunch of Communists. 2) a bunch of Sophists who want everyone else to believe in Communism because rich people are smart and won't put up with any of their guff. A not-fool and his money are not-soon to part, unless you part everyone with their money. 

 

Economics tells us that cooperation is good for the economy, and Communism isn't cooperative. Economics is very logical, which made Rationalists break out in hives. They desperately tried to Communize economics, but ultimately you can't do that without unmistakably betraying logic.

The truly effective way to be altruistic is not to be altruistic at all. Altruism is irresponsible. Reckless and destructive. If you want to help someone, buy them. If you want to save a forest, buy it. If you want to shut down a pipeline, buy it. Purchase the responsibility. Everything else is terrorism, and the joke is I'm perfectly serious.

And so on and so forth.  

It really gets me that charities are in fact terrorist organizations. I don't quite chuckle, but I almost chuckle infinitely. "Unfortunately, he would have been fine, except that you just severed his spinal cord. How do you feel? Is your reaction: “Oh well, at least I tried?”" The founder of MADD couldn't possibly have stayed in charge of MADD, because personnel is policy and she's not a terrorist. Her choices were to shut it down or get ousted; there was no other possible outcome.

Selling your soul for power is to be applauded. Most sell it for a nickel and some pocket lint. They yell, "Take my money!" to the Devil, in the hopes of appearing to be a good person. Don't even wait for a contract and assurances. Selling your soul for power is a massive step up from the normal baseline. Wanting to rule in hell instead of serving in heaven makes you upper class; most will get mad if you don't offer to let them serve in hell.

Recalling that Fascists are fallen Communists, a post-rat is a somewhat less fallen Communist. They like to signal affinity for "woo" and occultism and stuff, because that signals opposition to the tainted, heretical Rationalism. They really believe social status can be equally re-distributed, if you just...something...somethingly. They'll figure it out, I'm sure.

There's two classes who can have this kind of faith in Communism; forsaken idiots, and psychopaths. And the second don't count. It seemed Yudkowsky was cynically running a cult (for narcissists, as with all cults) because he was cynically running a cult. He doesn't genuinely believe what he says - not at the "meta" level, as they say. 

Naturally all their social arrangements rapidly became abusive. What do you suppose is going to happen when you gather a bunch of narcissists in the room and promise they're going to change the world?

Naturally nobody will in fact become particularly rational. That wasn't the intent. 

 

Truth is a jealous bitch. She won't tolerate the slightest bit of cheating. Not only must she be your top priority, she has to be your only priority. Flirt with her frivolously only if you're a pure masochist.

As you should be able to work out on your own, for religious nutjobs, social ties are the top priority. Truth won't touch a Communist with a ten-foot pole. They could only aspire to a snowball's chance in hell.