This is a linkpost for https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/PBRWb2Em5SNeWYwwB/humans-are-not-automatically-strategic
Written by LW user AnnaSalamon.
This link post is part of LessWrong for EA, a LessWrong repost & low-commitment discussion group (inspired by this comment). Each week I will revive an EA-relevant post from the LessWrong Archives, more or less at random, from a list I started from the comments here (additional suggestions welcome via PM or in the comments).
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Initially, I talked about hosting Zoom discussion for those that were interested, but I think it’s a bit more than I can take on right now (not so low-commitment). If anyone wants to organize one, comment or PM me and I will be happy to coordinate for future posts.
Ah, I remember reading this a while ago! Agree with Jay that it's nice to re-read ... And agree that these strategies have yet to become habitual to me. I might try putting up sticky notes for a few of these by my desk, and see if I'll become more strategic.
This is one of my favourite posts to re-read from time to time. It's HARD to keep these strategies in mind. I think Eliezer's right that what we automatically do is "Pick things that feel like they will achieve our goal". Some people are more calibrated in their feelings than others, and their feelings on what will achieve their goals are more aligned with strategic thinking, but even so strategic thinking is very difficult.
I like these posts which are more practical in nature. As much as the Sequences influenced my thinking when I read them as a young adult, it's these posts I come back to years later.