Friday, October 3, 2008

Twelve Virtues of Rationality

From Eliezer Yudkowsky, they are:
1. Curiosity
2. Relinquishment
3. Lightness
4. Evenness
5. Argument
6. Empiricism
7. Simplicity
8. Humility
9. Perfectionism
10. Precision
11. Scholarship
What about the 12th? It's apparently a nameless virtue. It is explained in a round-about way by this quotation.
"The primary thing when you take a sword in your hands is your intention to cut the enemy, whatever the means. Whenever you parry, hit, spring, strike or touch the enemy's cutting sword, you must cut the enemy in the same movement. It is essential to attain this. If you think only of hitting, springing, striking or touching the enemy, you will not be able actually to cut him. More than anything, you must be thinking of carrying your movement through to cutting him."
So, which disciplines train you in these virtues? I'm going to put my discipline in for the running (economics), but maybe others? I know that I see a lot of these virtues as personal goals on my part, and they never existed before I started my graduate training in economics, so I'm assuming it's because of that. But, I think we also need a list of the twelve vices of rationality, too. Cynicism would be high on the list.

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