There are no surprising facts, only models that are surprised by facts; and if a model is surprised by the facts, it is no credit to that model.

Lonely dissent doesn't feel like going to school dressed in black. It feels like going to school wearing a clown suit.

World domination is such an ugly phrase. I prefer to call it world optimisation.

Part of the rationalist ethos is binding yourself emotionally to an absolutely lawful reductionistic universe - a universe containing no ontologically basic mental things such as souls or magic and pouring all your hope and all your care into that merely real universe and its possibilities, without disappointment.

Trying and getting hurt can't possibly be worse for you than being... stuck.

I am tempted to say that a doctorate in AI would be negatively useful, but I am not one to hold someone’s reckless youth against them – just because you acquired a doctorate in AI doesn’t mean you should be permanently disqualified.

Crocker's Rules didn't give you the right to say anything offensive, but other people could say potentially offensive things to you, and it was your responsibility not to be offended. This was surprisingly hard to explain to people; many people would read the careful explanation and hear, "Crocker's Rules mean you can say offensive things to other people."