3.9 KiB
Coming of age stories
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Author: u/farsan13 *
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URL: https://www.reddit.com/r/rational/comments/7y6j54/coming_of_age_stories/
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Score: 30
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Created: 2018-02-17T13:05:22
Post:
I have read many rationalist stories, but I'd like to find a deep story about the learning of rationality.
Many stories make the main character teach other people about rationalist concepts, but I haven't yet found any about the main character learning how to be rational from zero, or almost zero. A rationalist coming of age story.
Do anyone know a story like this? How would anyone write it? In my mind, it would look like a rationalist version of Taran Wanderer, but is this the best format?
Comments:
u/jaghataikhan [+9] Primarch of the White Scars (9 hours later)
I loved the Prydain books as a kid!
Hmm... unfortunately, thats a bit of a rare combo. Motherof learning is probably the best existing work like that off the top of my head.
Not rational, but I'm a fan of the manga Omani Master Kurosawa (NSFW, but basically starts off as a parody of Death Note. Somehow turns into a coming of age story, and makes it work!) and Molester Man.
u/AurelianoTampa [+1] (2 days later)
Omani Master Kurosawa
Onani, for what it's worth. It's weird that I recognize that...
u/None [+10] (5 hours later)
If it's all right to plug my own work, I've been writing a fanfic called The Incompetent Witcher taking place in the universe of the Witcher books/games (think medieval Europe with a mix of Eastern European folklore). The young protagonist is supposed to be intelligent but headstrong, naive, and therefore quite insensible -- but he will become progressively more rational (and, unfortunately, more cynical) as he learns the ways of the world.
u/Sailor_Vulcan [+4] Champion of Justice and Reason (7 hours later)
This is the story of my life. Problem is, when I first started learning rationality I had some EXTREMELY embarrassing moments in the valley of bad rationality, many of which are not worth sharing because they involve miscommunications which would paint me in a rather inaccurate negative light, and I wasn't coherent enough to really be accomplishing anything, and I was already so psychologically messed up and maladjusted from before that that I wasn't really all that likable at the time either. It wasn't until I finally left the valley of bad rationality that I gradually started becoming more coherent and less ridiculous, and even now I still struggle at times.
The one thing I can say is that, somehow, around the time I was first learning rationality techniques, I used them to assist in solving a crime which a private investigator was having trouble with, despite my not having any experience in detective work. I swear this was a lot less interesting than it sounds.
I think that might have actually been shortly before I had a happy death spiral about rationality, actually.
u/I_am_your_BRAIN [+1] (9 hours later)
I mean, isn't it by definition the story of anyone that embraces rationality? It would be irrational to presume someone be born with it (necessitating learning and/or discovery as you go)
u/Sailor_Vulcan [+6] Champion of Justice and Reason (10 hours later)
you'd be surprised how many rationalists or rationalist adjacent people claim that rationality didn't improve their thinking that drastically. (Or at least on some of the discord channels that's what people seem to have said sometimes.) My impression is that they think that those who benefit from it are those who were already above average sanity/intelligence to start with.
u/I_am_your_BRAIN [+2] (10 hours later)
I mean, assuming that's true, they had to get to that point somehow also. I'm sure on reflection they agree they have more rational thinking than their 5 year old selves etc.