scrape_r_rational/data/cache2/2qaoyv.md

[BST][Q][MK] Seeking advice collections

• Author: u/DataPacRat Amateur Immortalist*

• URL: https://www.reddit.com/r/rational/comments/2qaoyv/bstqmk_seeking_advice_collections/

• Score: 8

• Created: 2014-12-24T18:14:32

Post:

The archetype of what I'm looking for:

• The List of Character Survival Techniques, at http://home.wxs.nl/~jvdriel/survivaladvice.txt .

Definite members of the group:

• The Evil Overlord List: http://www.eviloverlord.com/lists/overlord.html
• Sequels to the Overlord List (True Love, Sidekick, etc): http://www.worldconquer.org/evil_overlord.html and the Universal Savvy Guide: http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/JustForFun/TheUniversalGenreSavvyGuide
• Murphy's Laws of Combat: http://www.strategypage.com/humor/articles/military_humor_murphys_laws_of_combat.asp

Probable members:

• Machiavelli's "The Prince"
• Sun Tzu's "Art of War"
• "The Book of Five Rings"

Low probability of being members:

• Lists of virtues to cultivate
• Advice lists based on particular abstracted models of reality that can't be applied to more general settings
• Individual snippets of advice

Not members:

• Quote-lists that don't give suggestions and advice
• "Real Men, Real Role-Players, Loonies, and Munchkins": http://www.firedrake.org/roger/rpg/munchkin.html
• Advice that doesn't bring the advisee closer to Winning^(TM).

Comments:

u/chthonicSceptre [+7] Highly Unlikely (10 hours later)

Okay...

I think that things like the Evil Overlord list are humerous as far as picking out common villain tropes, but it's not entirely applicable in Real Life. For example, item 34 is "I will not turn into a snake. It never helps." Which makes sense in video games and The Silver Chair (C.S. Lewis) and Final Fantasy VII, because going into Sephiroth-mode is always the prelude to the protagonist smiting you. But in Real Life, there's no reason whatsoever that becoming a one-winged angel won't help you slay your foes more effectively or whatever.

Similarly, some of the advice here is actually mixed: Murphy's Laws of Combat (I don't know if these even have any practical value) are a bit at odds with some of the things in Art of War.

That said, aside from the advice to not do things just because it rarely works out in fiction, what do you want to accomplish? If the goal is Winning™, what does that entail? Is this advice that Bunny is giving other people, or that she's trying to take? (I assume that you're asking for the purposes of S.I.) War, politics, plague, dealing with sentient computer programs/malignant nanomachines, obtaining eternal life, and the net reduction of entropy in the universe all require different mindsets.

Things on practical philosophy include Thus Spoke Zarathustra, The Enchiridon (a condensed version of which is currently on this subreddit) and Rational Man with Shotgun, supposedly based on Rowling's comment that a wizard could be killed by a rational man with a shotgun.

Merry Christmas, Mr. Boese. Bless your ruthlessly pragmatic heart.

u/None [+2] (15 hours later)

For example, item 34 is "I will not turn into a snake. It never helps." Which makes sense in video games and The Silver Chair (C.S. Lewis) and Final Fantasy VII, because going into Sephiroth-mode is always the prelude to the protagonist smiting you. But in Real Life, there's no reason whatsoever that becoming a one-winged angel won't help you slay your foes more effectively or whatever.

I've always figured One-Winged Angel mode is just one of those things like laughing maniacally or hot-blooded speechifying: not necessarily helpful, but so enjoyable that once you've gotten up to the "I did it 35 minutes ago!" stage of your plan, you just have to try it.

u/DataPacRat [+1] Amateur Immortalist (11 hours later)

what do you want to accomplish?

Bunny's long-term goal: Survive indefinitely. (Ie, pick a year; Bunny is attempting to avoid permanently dying by then.)

Bunny's relevant sub-goal: Convert certain civilians into potential replacement protagonists, so that if she dies again (or otherwise becomes hors de combat), they can keep on trucking.

Bunny's current tool: The university's physical library and digital archive.

Relevant constraint: Any method that requires the exertion of willpower is less likely to succeed than one that doesn't. Thus, pieces of data that are entertaining and fun to read are more likely to be remembered at a point where they could positively influence behaviour than boring instructional methods.

(One of Bunny's secondary goals: Pick up useful tidbits of advice for herself.)

Bless your ruthlessly pragmatic heart.

An interesting comment to someone writing a wild tale about a talking rabbit who has a better daily exercise routine than he does, but I thank you for the sentiment. :)

Merry Christmas, Mr. Boese.

And to all a good night!

u/alexanderwales [+1] Time flies like an arrow (3 hours later)

The first thing that comes to mind is The Zombie Survival Guide, though it's probably not widely applicable enough for your tastes (though much of what it says is good for a general end of the world scenario).

u/None [+1] (15 hours later)

Well, I started looking up the advice for my character-type... and numbers 8 and 9 are just fucking tragic. Goddamnit.

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