this post was submitted on 24 Jul 2025
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[–] agamemnonymous@sh.itjust.works 19 points 1 month ago (2 children)

Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality? I think it clocks in at like half the length of the entire original series.

[–] e8d79@discuss.tchncs.de 7 points 1 month ago (3 children)

Oh great the foundational work of the rationalist community. Enjoy 650 000 words of Eliezer Yudkowsky' preaching and his self-insert smartly destroying straw-man after straw-man while everybody claps.

[–] agamemnonymous@sh.itjust.works 5 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Eh, did you finish it? That's certainly how it starts, but that's not really where it winds up.

[–] e8d79@discuss.tchncs.de 1 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I am sure it gets really good after 400 000 words more. However, I would much rather spend my time reading something other than the writings of a guy who doesn't hold a degree of any sort, didn't even finish high-school, but claims to be an expert in all the topics he ignorantly speculates about.

[–] agamemnonymous@sh.itjust.works 6 points 1 month ago

At least he's tried to make critical thinking techniques more well known and accessible. That's more interesting to me than, I dunno, some linguistics PhD's fantasy slop.

It was an enjoyable read, and your strawman characterization isn't really accurate at all, except when lampooning one of Rowling's poorly written characters. Most of the book was Harry facing the consequences of smugly oversimplifying conflicts.

[–] lagoon8622@sh.itjust.works 4 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

"The most ethical thing you can do is be unethical. QED. Now buy my book using this affiliate link."

[–] flying_sheep@lemmy.ml 2 points 1 month ago

Ironic, you're describing a strawman version of it. The writing in the beginning might have sine resemblance to it, but if becomes something very different.

[–] steeznson@lemmy.world 6 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Yeah that's the one - thanks!

[–] agamemnonymous@sh.itjust.works 6 points 1 month ago

There's a pretty decent audiobook in YouTube if you're into that