Is there such thing as a cheerful pessimist? That's what I am.

Rationality is not just something you do so that you can make more money, it is a binding principle. Rationality is a really good idea. You must avoid the nonsense that is conventional in one's own time. It requires developing systems of thought that improve your batting average over time.

We have a history when things are really horrible of wading in when no one else will.

People always underestimate the ability of earth to increase its carrying capacity.

How do you compete against a true fanatic? You can only try to build the best possible moat and continuously attempt to widen it.

Of course the self-serving bias is something you want to get out of yourself. Thinking that what's good for you is good for the wider civilization and rationalizing all these ridiculous conclusions based on this subconscious tendency to serve one's self is a terribly inaccurate way to think.

Those who will not face improvements because they are changes, will face changes that are not improvements.