I'm fascinated by this phenomenon, where expunging even obviously poor chunks can feel like an amputation. If you don't mind, I have a couple of questions. Have you looked at using version control for your writing? What tools do you use (Apple Notes?) and why?
0 or 1. I saw this post and thought "finally! I've been a fan since the early 90's. I'm most surprised that it took you this long, and excited that you finally got around to it. :)
The ratsphere is ripe for some of the same treatment you gave the fossphere back in the day. (It's under attack by forces of darkness; it's adherents tend to be timid and poorly funded while its attackers are loud, charismatic, and throw a lot of money around; it revolves around a few centers of gravity ("projects") that are fundamental building blocks of the future - the Big Problems; etc.)
I haven't thought this through a ton, but if I squint a bit I can see Jaynes &etc filling the role of, like, Knuth and K&R and etc - hard engineering; and The Sequences/LW/SSC filling the role of, say, GNU and Lions and etc - a way for the masses to participate and contribute and absorb knowlege and gel into a tribe and a movement. I paint that vague hand-wavy picture for you, hoping you'll understand when I say that this post feels like it should be expanded and become TAOUP but for the ratsphere.