The road to wisdom? Well, it's plain
and simple to express:

Err
and err
and err again
but less
and less
and less.

– Piet Hein

Why a new user guide?

Although encouraged, you don't have to read this to get started on LessWrong!

LessWrong is a pretty particular place. We strive to maintain a culture that's uncommon for web forums^[1] and to stay true to our values. Recently, many more people have been finding their way here, so I (lead admin and moderator) put together this intro to what we're about.

My hope is that if LessWrong resonates with your values and interests, this guide will help you become a valued member of community. And if LessWrong isn't the place for you, this guide will help you have a good "visit" or simply seek other pastures.

Contents of this page/email

If you arrived here out of interest in AI, make sure to read the section on LessWrong and Artificial Intelligence.

What LessWrong is about: "Rationality"

LessWrong is online forum/community that was founded with the purpose of perfecting the art of human^[2] rationality.

While truthfulness is a property of beliefs, rationality is a property of reasoning processes. Our definition^[3] of rationality is that a more rational reasoning process tends to arrive at true beliefs and good decisions more often than a less rational process. For example, a reasoning process that responds to evidence is more likely to believe true things than one that just goes with what's convenient to believe. An aspiring rationalist^[4] is someone who aspires to improve their own reasoning process to arrive at truth more often.

...a rationalist isn't just somebody who respects the Truth...All too many people respect the Truth. A rationalist is somebody who respects the processes of finding truth.

...

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