Rationalothinking

The groupthink of self-proclaimed rationalist or "skeptic" communities, where the performance of rationality (using specific jargon, invoking Bayesian probability, dismissing emotion) becomes more important than the substance of truth. The group develops orthodox beliefs about topics like AI risk, effective altruism, or libertarianism, and deviations are dismissed as "irrational" or "motivated reasoning." The shared identity as "rationalists" prevents rational scrutiny of their own sacred cows.

Example: In an online rationalist community, a member questions the group's orthodoxy about the near-term certainty of superhuman AI. They are immediately flooded with responses citing Yudkowsky, Bostrom, and complex probability notation. This Rationalothinking uses the aesthetic of rationality to enforce conformity, attacking the questioner's in-group status rather than engaging the argument on its merits.

by Dumuabzu February 5, 2026