Scott Alexander argues that rationality should be viewed as habit cultivation rather than a limited resource, drawing parallels with aikido and lucid dreaming techniques.
Longer summary
Scott Alexander disagrees with Robin Hanson's view of rationality as a limited resource to be budgeted. Instead, he proposes that rationality should be treated as habit cultivation. He draws parallels between rationality and aikido training, as well as lucid dreaming techniques, emphasizing the importance of making rational thinking so natural that it becomes a default state even in challenging situations. Scott argues that cultivating these habits is crucial because irrationality, like dreaming, can depress one's ability to recognize when they're being irrational.
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