rationalnewsletter

Issue #89: Full List

Social networks give us access to information and provide us with social collateral for economic transactions – from buying a house to getting a job. // ourworldindata.org

# Instrumental

Tapping Out In Two // philh, 7 min

In which ways have you self-improved that made you feel bad for not having done it earlier? // MathieuRoy, 1 min

If giving unsolicited feedback was a social norm, what feedback would you often give? // MathieuRoy, 1 min

# Epistemic

Paper-Reading for Gears // johnswentworth, 5 min

Epistemic Spot Check: Fatigue and the Central Governor Module // Elizabeth, 6 min

What is Abstraction? // johnswentworth, 5 min

Reading list: Starting links and books on studying ontology and causality // aaq, 2 min

Multiple conditions must be met to gain causal effect // MoritzG, 1 min

Is there a scientific method? Physics, Biology and Beyond // Jimdrix_Hendri, 2 min

Call for resources on the link between causation and ontology // aaq, 2 min

# Ai

Understanding “Deep Double Descent” // evhub, 6 min Favorite

What I talk about when I talk about AI x-risk: 3 core claims I want machine learning researchers to address. // capybaralet, 3 min

A list of good heuristics that the case for AI x-risk fails // capybaralet, 2 min

Values, Valence, and Alignment // G Gordon Worley III, 16 min

What subfields of mathematics are most useful for what subfields of AI? // Rudi C, 1 min

# Anthropic

Unending Winter Is Coming // Robin Hanson, 4 min Favorite

A letter on optimism about human progress // jasoncrawford, 4 min

Is the rate of scientific progress slowing down? (by Tyler Cowen and Ben Southwood) // Ben Pace, 1 min

Russian x-risks newsletter #2, fall 2019 // avturchin, 4 min

(Reinventing wheels) Maybe our world has become more people-shaped. // aaq, 3 min

# Decision theory

Why aren't assurance contracts widely used? // Daniel Kokotajlo, 1 min

Comment on Coherence arguments do not imply goal directed behavior // Brangus, 6 min

Oracles: reject all deals - break superrationality, with superrationality // Stuart_Armstrong, 9 min

"Fully" acausal trade // Stuart_Armstrong, 1 min

What is an Evidential Decision Theory agent? // Chris_Leong, 1 min

On decision-prediction fixed points // jollybard, 1 min

# Math and cs

{Math} A times tables memory. // aaq, 2 min

Learning Abstract Math from First Principles? // Teach, 1 min

# Ea

MIRI’s 2019 Fundraiser // Malo, 10 min

# Community

Bay Area Winter Solstice 2019 // Chelsea Voss, 1 min

2019 Winter Solstice Collection // dspeyer, 1 min

Two Bay Area Winter Solstice Events // Chelsea Voss, 1 min

New things I understand (or think I do) // Dominik Tujmer, 8 min

Pre-Solstice Unconference 2019 // Chelsea Voss, 1 min

# Culture war

The Actionable Version of "Keep Your Identity Small" // Hazard, 5 min Favorite

Symbiotic Wars // lsusr, 1 min

# Misc

The New Age of Social Engineering // VivaLaPanda, 13 min

Vocal Range // jkaufman, 2 min

Long-lasting Effects of Suspensions? // jkaufman, 3 min

The history of smallpox and the origins of vaccines // philh, 1 min

Ungendered Spanish // jkaufman, 1 min

What is a reasonably complete set of the different meanings of "hard work"? // DonyChristie, 4 min

The 5 Main Muscles Made Easy. // leggi, 3 min

To Be Decided #3 // Ian David Moss, 3 min

Symptom, Condition, Cause // Scott Alexander, 5 min

The Devil Made Me Write This Post Explaining Why He Probably Didn't Hide Dinosaur Bones // Virgil Kurkjian, 3 min

# Podcasts

#66 - Peter Singer on being provocative, effective altruism, & how his moral views have changed // The 80000 Hours team, 121 min

99 – Whiteshift // The Bayesian Conspiracy, 143 min

#177 — Psychedelic Science // Waking up with Sam Harris, 86 min

# Videos of the week

What obligation do social media platforms have to the greater good? | Eli Pariser // TED, 17 min