[Aljik]

What cult does he run? Lesswrong? Lesswrong is dead, so if that is his cult, that must make him a pretty poor cult leader.

Techno-libertarian? I'll grant you the techno part, but lesswrong/the internet rationality people are about 70% left-wing and 25% libertarian.

So, what cult does he run, and what makes it a cult?

[jmcmichael]

Singularitarianism: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singularitarianism

EDIT: I agree with the parent reply that Elizer's writings do not rise to the level of good philosophy, but don't believe that 'singularitarianism' can currently be considered a cult. But it possesses some attributes similar to cults so I believe it's correct to call it a 'cult-like' or 'proto-cult' belief system.

[Aljik]

I don't think it's fair even call singularity stuff a cult. I would agree with calling it religious though.

But cult-like at least to me implies more negative connotations. Isolating people from their friends & families. Abusive behavior towards its members. Stuff like that. Compounds where people live etc...

Has this singularity "cult" even hurt anyone?

[pron]

> But cult-like at least to me implies more negative connotations. Isolating people from their friends & families. Abusive behavior towards its members. Stuff like that.

I did not mean it like that, and if that is how people understood it then I apologize. I meant it in the sense defined by Wikipedia: "In the sociological classifications of religious movements in English, a cult is a religious or social group with socially deviant or novel beliefs and practices". Or, in other words, a small fringe (possibly non-theistic) religion.

[jimrandomh]

This comes across as an instance of motte and bailey ( http://slatestarcodex.com/2014/11/03/all-in-all-another-bric... ). It would be better to either avoid the word cult, or stand behind the full connotations of the word including the implied accusations.

FWIW, take it from me as someone with a sense of humor who's a little closer to the situation: Yudkowsky is clearly not a cult leader because he only has one sex slave. A cult leader would have five or more. As for the actual ideas, if his writing style bothers you then Nick Bostrom's book Superintelligence: Paths, Dangers, Strategies is a good entry point (from an academic philosopher).

[pron]

> It would be better to either avoid the word cult, or stand behind the full connotations of the word including the implied accusations.

I am sorry for using the word with its the academic meaning, which is what I'm familiar with[1], rather than the colloquial one. As I said in another comment, I am not a native English speaker, so I was not familiar with the colloquial connotation of the word in English. Indeed, I now see on Wikipedia that English speakers are often confused by the use of the word in texts translated from other languages (where it carries the same definition but without the same negative connotations).

[1]: My favorite professor said, "There are only two profitable things you can do with an academic training in history: work as a technical advisor for historical movies or form a cult".

[Aljik]

Eh. I don't think that Wikipedia definition is commonplace usage. There are numerous social groups with deviant novel beliefs and practices, that people don't call cults. Do you call all such things cults?

And to be honest, I wouldn't even call the singularity culture a religion. It has no supernatural beings (no gods as you, but no angels or whatever as well). No magical beliefs. By that I mean things like the idea that prayer can heal. No ways to worship. No prescriptions on how to live your life. Literally the only thing is singularity = rapture.

Like honestly, what makes it a religion? Its just a weird idea that nerds like to talk about.

[pron]

> I don't think that Wikipedia definition is commonplace usage.

Perhaps, but my training was in (mostly medieval) history, and that is the usage I'm most familiar with (I am not a native English speaker, either).

> And to be honest, I wouldn't even call the singularity culture a religion. It has no supernatural beings (no gods as you, but no angels or whatever as well). No magical beliefs. By that I mean things like the idea that prayer can heal. No ways to worship.

None of those are required of a religion: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion

In particular, consider the Clifford Geertz quote: "[Religion is a] system of symbols which acts to establish powerful, pervasive, and long-lasting moods and motivations in men by formulating conceptions of a general order of existence and clothing these conceptions with such an aura of factuality that the moods and motivations seem uniquely realistic."

But again, my terminology is academic rather than reflecting everyday use.

> No prescriptions on how to live your life.

With that I would disagree.

[Aljik]

>With that I would disagree.

What prescriptions does singulartism give on how to live?

>None of those are required of a religion: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion

If you want to call the singularity culture a cult or religion, I'm not going to stop you. You can define things however you want. However, from what I see it has little in common with other things I would call cults, and other things I would call religions.

Now if you are honestly consistent, I will applaud you. So I am curious to ask. What are some other cults, aside from the ones I would agree to be cults (Scientology and such). What are some other religions aside from the ones I would agree to be religions (Islam, Christianity, Buddhism and such...).

I'm just basically curious what else you call a cult/religion aside from singularity + the stereotypical stuff.