Many important-but-unfinished ideas don't fit in short statements. But I think this is an interesting idea. Not obvious there's no version of this that works well. Currently, I'm not highly impressed.
@mako input?
The usual thought, I guess. We could build forums that're sufficiently flexible that they could have features like this added to them without any involvement from hosts (in this case I'd implement it as a Proposal/mass commitment to read 'post of the day's, and the introduction of a 'post of the day' tag. I don't think this even requires radical extensibility, just the tasteweb model), and we should build those instead of building more single purpose systems that are even less flexible than the few-purpose systems we already had.
No one wants to read and proceess others thoughts, even if they are great, if they are unpolished. There's just too much out there. That being said, dumping your own thoughts unpolished into a document is great, and there's rarely a reason not to do so publically as scooping is in practice incredibly rare, and usually done by convergent evolution not espionage. (e.g., the minimum viable code for my latest accepted cvpr submission was on github as well as up on my blog labelled "CVPR Equivariance" for over a year before I got it polished enough to actually submit, no one came anywhere close to scooping.
What's a crux?
A “crux” for short, or “crucial consideration” for long, is an idea that, if understood and acted upon, could significantly shift humanity's trajectory toward better outcomes. These are the golden nuggets that x-risk researchers care about most: insights that bring us closer to averting catastrophes and achieving flourishing futures. I think about cruxes constantly. But because I don't always write them down, I never fully develop them, integrate them into my worldview, or share them with others. That changes today. Starting now, I'm committing to writing one crux every day. I'm inviting you to join me.
Why Crux Daily?
Writing forces clarity. A daily practice means:
Imagine hundreds of researchers, each posting their single most important insight every day. A firehose of the best ideas in the world, flowing directly into your mind. That's the vision.
Introducing Crux: A Short-Form Forum
To support this practice, I'm soft-launching Crux; a platform designed specifically for sharing crucial considerations. The constraints are intentional:
The brevity isn't a limitation—it's the point. Distill your thinking to its essence. Spend the time you'd use writing 3,000 words instead refining 500.
How to Participate
You can learn more about the platform by clicking "How to Crux" on the site itself.
Why This Matters Now
We may be approaching the most consequential period in human history. The decisions made in the coming years about AI, strategy, coordination, values; these could lock in trajectories lasting into the long-term future. Mapping the territory matters. Getting our best ideas out of our heads and into shared space matters. Building the habit of asking "what's most important?" every single day; that matters. This is a small commitment with potentially large returns. One short post. Your best idea. Every day. Let's build this together.
Cross-posted on cruxforum.com
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