Rationality Meetups: Categorisation and Concepts

The goal of the meetup is to deepen our understanding of rationality and become better at using it in our lives. 

Language is our fundamental tool for communication, yet its naming conventions often fall short, and the processes for conveying information can be imperfect. Let’s use this meetup as a kind of therapy session—a space to express our frustrations with the limitations of everyday language. Together, we can also explore and exchange strategies, concepts, and techniques to deepen our understanding and navigate these challenges more effectively.

Questions to discuss:

1. Disguised language
❓ Have you noticed instances where language masks its true intent?
Example: Questions like “Is this a disease?” that aim to explore whether shaming or stigmatization could solve a problem.
❓ What words or phrases are confusing due to historical reasons or arbitrary naming conventions?
❓ Do similar issues arise in debates about AI?

Readings:
👉 Diseased thinking: dissolving questions about disease (https://www.lesswrong.com/s/NHXY86jBahi968uW4/p/895quRDaK6gR2rM82)
👉 The Categories Were Made For Man, Not Man For The Categories (https://www.lesswrong.com/s/NHXY86jBahi968uW4/p/aMHq4mA2PHSM2TMoH)

Optional:
👉 How An Algorithm Feels From Inside (https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/yA4gF5KrboK2m2Xu7/how-an-algorithm-feels-from-inside)
👉 Concepts Don’t Work That Way (https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/wHjpCxeDeuFadG3jF/concepts-don-t-work-that-way)

2. Challanges of debating situations
❓ Have you encountered any “non-central fallacies” in public debates? How did you respond?
Example: Arguments like “Abortion is murder!”
❓ Have you observed emotivist argumentation recently? How can we effectively respond?
What topics carry “bad karma” for different social groups,
Can thinking in terms if good/bad karma ever be useful?

Readings:
👉 The noncentral fallacy – the worst argument in the world? (https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/yCWPkLi8wJvewPbEp/the-noncentral-fallacy-the-worst-argument-in-the-world)
👉 Ethnic Tension And Meaningless Arguments (https://www.lesswrong.com/s/NHXY86jBahi968uW4/p/4xKeNKFXFB458f5N8)

Optional:
👉 All Debates Are Bravery Debates (https://www.lesswrong.com/s/XsMTxdQ6fprAQMoKi/p/PQ3nutgxfTgvq69Xt, already included in meetup #1)

3. How it works / what next?
❓What types of conversations have which pitfalls? Which pitfalls should be known more?
❓How can we enhance clarity in communication? How to out-balance limits of ordinary language?
❓What vague concepts need rethinking? How can conceptual engineering replace traditional conceptual analysis?

Optional readings:
👉Less Wrong Rationality and Mainstream Philosophy (https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/oTX2LXHqXqYg2u4g6/less-wrong-rationality-and-mainstream-philosophy)
👉 How You Make Judgments: The Elephant and its Rider (https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/du395YvCnQXBPSJax/how-you-make-judgments-the-elephant-and-its-rider)
👉 37 Ways That Words Can Be Wrong (https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/FaJaCgqBKphrDzDSj/37-ways-that-words-can-be-wrong)
👉 Raising the Sanity Waterline (https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/XqmjdBKa4ZaXJtNmf/raising-the-sanity-waterline)
👉 A revolution in philosophy: the rise of conceptual engineering (https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/9iA87EfNKnREgdTJN/a-revolution-in-philosophy-the-rise-of-conceptual)

This concludes our series of rationality meetups. There’s no need to register in advance; you are welcome to join even if you didn’t attend any previous meetups. English speakers welcome. You can see our other events here.

Not able to attend?

If you are interested in the topic but cannot attend, leave us your contact details and we will get back to you with other opportunities (events, discussions, lectures, projects).