8.4 KiB
[META] We should have a [TH] tag for transhumanist themes
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Author: u/None *
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URL: https://www.reddit.com/r/rational/comments/2g8rxv/meta_we_should_have_a_th_tag_for_transhumanist/
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Score: 14
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Created: 2014-09-12T22:45:51
Post:
Two works that would be best classified as transhumanist rather than hard SF were posted within the last few days: To the Stars, Eclipse Phase. I am certain there are others.
These are not always rational or rationalist fiction, but the overlap in people who would enjoy them tends to be significant enough that they show up on this subreddit with some frequency anyway. Having a new tag would help tell them apart.
Comments:
u/ZankerH [+8] Remove Kebab (31 minutes later)
Sci-fi doesn't automatically turn hard by being transhumanist.
u/None [+3] (2 hours later)
Exactly.
u/PeridexisErrant [+2] put aside fear for courage, and death for life (14 hours later)
Yeah, that got me in my late-night To The Stars post. Oops...
u/ArmokGoB [+2] (2 days later)
Yea, the fact the combination turns other things hard in an otherwise very correlated way just makes it seem like it.
u/None [+6] (an hour later)
How many tags do we really need? I understand the need for categorization, but I don't think we need a tag for every single thing. If it's got stuff in it to appeal to the /r/rational folks, I think it's fine here, tag or no tag.
u/alexanderwales [+3] Time flies like an arrow (4 hours later)
Agreed. Tag it however you want, then add a comment that includes whatever caveats you want, or why you thought it would be a good fit here.
u/PeridexisErrant [+2] put aside fear for courage, and death for life (14 hours later)
Hmm. Looking at our current tag system, they seem to fall into a couple of categories:
rational-ness of a story
genre of a story
I'm writing something
other topics
To avoid tag overload, how about just removing genre tags? That still maintains the distinction between posting a finished sotry, talking about a WIP, and general discussion; and I think simplifies the system nicely. I'll do this in the morning, I think.
u/None [+3] (16 hours later)
Meh. I first added the genre tags to deal with the complaining about whether fics should or shouldn't be posted, and it's seemed to deal with that quite well. But I agree that [RT] and [RST] do away with some of that - brilliant thinking with those, by the way. Huge fan of the reorganized characteristics.
Looking at the genre tags, [Mk] isn't even in the official listing, and [DC] hardly ever pops up. Those two can be lumped under "rational", anyway. And [HSF] and [HF] were just an experiment - for a little while, nobody posted anything here, so I decided to open it up to the Hard Fiction crowd (still underrepresented on reddit). I've been pleased to see many people posting stories with [HF] and [HSF] labels as time progressed, and I still feel like there are wealths of literature in those genres that remain untapped in this sub. I don't know how I'd feel about their exclusion.
Up to you, ultimately. We chose you carefully, so I'll leave it to your judgement. I look forward to seeing your decision.
u/PeridexisErrant [+4] put aside fear for courage, and death for life (a day later)
I believe in you who believes in me!
Kick tags to the curb!* That's how /r/rational rolls!* I made the tag system more systematic, and genres as an optional part. I think it should work pretty well.
u/None [+4] (a day later)
[bass drops]
Thanks for the effort you're continuously putting in to make this sub more awesome!
u/_brightwing [+2] Feathered menace (20 hours later)
Removing genre tags does help make things more straight forward. I think though it might be a good idea to make an official thread about this before implementing the change. So you get more feedback on the idea and reach a general census.
Personally, I have always found genre tags useful before diving into a read. (seraphnb) And the DC tag for example allowed us to post loads of relevant interesting content. Some that we might have otherwise hesitated to post under a RT tag - RT has always been serious business :P
u/PeridexisErrant [+3] put aside fear for courage, and death for life (a day later)
Clarified and made them optional, which I think is a good compromise.
u/None [+1] (16 hours later)
Oh, and while I'm looking at the sidebar:
The first sentence of the first paragraph is missing the word "fiction".
I think the explanation also negates the need for the lesswrong link on the word "rationalist".
Wise reading was a fun idea, but despite my attempts to push it, it never took on. I think the link should stay, but doesn't deserve a whole paragraph to itself. It sort of takes away from the bit about reposting and spoilers - which come up much more frequently.
On that note, yeah, those two tidbits should be better emphasized.
The rational / rationalist fiction bit takes up a lot of space ... Theoretically, it could be replaced with a link to your post explaining it, but that's more of a aesthetic nitpick than a substantial one. Hardly important.
u/PeridexisErrant [+2] put aside fear for courage, and death for life (a day later)
Mostly done. I think the changes are small enough that we don't need a plebiscite, if someone has a strong opinion we'll here it in a sub this size.
While it does take a fair bit of space, I think it's worth keeping the whole rational-and-rationalist bit there - it is after all the purpose of the sub!
u/rationalidurr [+1] If fighting is sure to result in victory, then you must fight! (8 hours later)
This is a good idea, Id much rather be reading a story I know that has a goal to using resources and common sense to advance human race. I learned about cryonics being applicable in real life, other TH works could teach people about thins as well.
But since were on the topic of accurate tags for books and such, wouldn't it be better to just add a simple number score when posting, something like:
RT 1 (or lowest) Book X
Where the plot is written with a little bit hindsight and occasional common sense.
and
RT 10 (top) Where the plot is based on introducing and calculating every aspect of a certain unusual object or occurrence like magic or aliens, and them the story is just natural progression of what happens next.
I mean this as means to tell apart low and high RT and RST
u/Zephyr1011 [+7] Potentially Unfriendly Aspiring Divinity (10 hours later)
Having a 1-10 scale just seems needlessly complicated and subjective. I would have no clue where most of the stories on this sub would go. What's wrong with the current binary system
u/rationalidurr [+1] If fighting is sure to result in victory, then you must fight! (a day later)
Ok no scales then, but any sort of way to determine the level of rationality lesson, rational world building or even competence porn would be great.
Example:
HPMOR: High rationality, low to medium rational world, medium competence porn, low amounts of hard science fiction.
It's been a while since I read it so this, so my estimate may be wrong.
u/Zephyr1011 [+1] Potentially Unfriendly Aspiring Divinity (a day later)
Yeah, a trinary scale seems workable. Also, there is greater competence porn than methods? This I must read
u/Empiricist_or_not [+1] Aspiring polite Hegemonizing swarm (2 days later)
This seems like something that would become flame bait quickly, and not a prompt for rational discussion.