Astral Codex Ten Podcast On Priesthoods
Jan 27, 2025
Explore the intriguing concept of 'priesthoods' in rationalist communities and their role in idea exchanges. Unpack the struggles faced by professional groups like medicine and economics amidst external pressures and changing attitudes. Discover how these communities serve as reliable sources of information in a skeptical world. The discussion also reveals the challenges of trusting media sources, weighing traditional journalism against the rise of alternative platforms. This thought-provoking dive into intellectual structures offers insights on truth-seeking in society.
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Priesthoods and Knowledge
- Scott Alexander discusses "priesthoods," institutions like the medical establishment, and their role in knowledge creation.
- He explores how these groups balance the benefits of collective reasoning with the risks of groupthink and isolation.
Group Size and Truth
- Truth-seeking benefits from various group sizes, from individuals to society-wide discussions.
- Each size has strengths and weaknesses regarding groupthink, noise, and consensus.
Priesthood Boundaries
- Priesthoods, groups of intelligent individuals, offer better signal-to-noise ratios than broader society.
- Their usefulness depends on maintaining a boundary from the public to avoid idea contamination.
