If you've never read the LessWrong Sequences (which I read through the book-length compilation Rationality: From AI To Zombies), I suggest that you read the Sequences as if they were written today. Additionally, if you're thinking of rereading the Sequences, I suggest that your agenda for rereading, in addition to what it may already be, should be to read the Sequences as if they were written today.

To start, I'd like to take a moment to clarify what I mean. I don't mean "think about what you remember the Sequences talking about, and try to apply those concepts to current events." I don't even mean "read the Sequences and reflect on where the concepts are relevant to things that have happened since they were written." What I mean is that you should read the Sequences as if they were written today. You should imagine that, on January 1, 2025 [...]

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Outline:

(01:09) Key advantages of this approach

(01:13) 1. Its easier to notice the contemporary applicability of the Sequences if you think of them as contemporary

(03:23) 2. It lets you set aside misremembered ideas about what the Sequences actually say

(05:36) 3. The Sequences were designed for today, not for when they were written

(06:46) A potential new series of posts

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First published:
January 2nd, 2025

Source:
https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/xFkhkjLudHaqiW7Cc/read-the-sequences-as-if-they-were-written-today

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Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.