There is no RationalWiki without you. We are a small non-profit with no staff—we are hundreds of volunteers who document pseudoscience and crankery around the world every day. We will never allow ads because we must remain independent. We cannot rely on big donors with corresponding big agendas. We are not the largest website around, but we believe we play an important role in defending truth and objectivity. |
Fighting pseudoscience isn't free. We are 100% user-supported! Help and donate $5, $10, $20 or whatever you can today with ![]() ![]() |
Essay:Skeptics vs Tech-Rationalists
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
There seem to be many types of Rationalists. In fact there seem to be two main types: Scientific Skeptics and Tech-Rationalists. Unfortunately the pair often get mixed up. The opposing sides seem to despise each other. There is only one famous person that could be described as both: Richard Dawkins and that's stretching it.
Aspects | Scientific Skeptics | Tech-Rationalists |
---|---|---|
Archetypal Figure | Harriet A. Hall | Elon Musk |
Politics | All over the spectrum. If politics conflict, there is either a fight, or avoidance. | Libertarian, Egalitarian. Politics don't often conflict but if they do, both sides are more willing to engage in polite discussion and the conflicting politics are more moderate. |
Focus | Promoting Skepticism, debunking unscientific falsehoods | Effective Altruism, Artificial Intelligence, Improving the World |
Criticism from the other side | Assholes | Out of touch with reality. Ridiculous. |
Walks of Life | More diverse. Both a white man and an Indian woman are willing to chat happily about how wrong anti-vaxxers are. There is a majority of white men. | Mostly white or light-skinned rich men. |
Archetypal Website | Skeptic's Dictionary | LessWrong |
Mutualities | Pro-Critical thinking, both want the world to be better, reliance on science |