How to Raise a Rationalist Kid

In honor of Father's Day, Julia Galef from http://measureofdoubt.com talks about the things her parents did that helped make her and her brother Jesse intellectually curious and interested in rationality.

• Category

  Education

[M Saeed]

I support raising kids in a way to encourage scientific thinking. The things you mentioned seem like they would make a difference but is there scientific evidence to support these claims? Maybe what worked for you wouldn't work for others.

[Julia Galef]

Unfortunately there will never be truly solid scientific evidence about child-rearing practices, because we can't do double-blind randomized controlled trials of them. (Well, I suppose we *could* do RCTs in theory, but ethics boards would never allow it!)

That means that you have to do the best you can with the evidence at your disposal, whether that's anecdotes, or just reasoning about what seems likely to help, based on your basic knowledge of human psychology and behavior.

[Mavaddat Javid]

This video made me depressed about the way my parents raised me...

[WrestlingHeretic]

Ms. Galef, Can you explain why skeptics should listen to anything you say when your organization CFAR is affiliated with Eliezer Yudkowsky and his band of crackpots at LessWrong, a group that is as pseudoscientific as pseudoscience gets? LessWrong is a Yudkowsky personality cult where dissent is stifled, which has an apocalyptic world view based on the most unsubstantiated claims. To apply for a job at CFAR, you FORCE people to read Yud's catechism of "sequences." Why should we listen to you?

[BooBaddyBig]

It should be possible to do RCTs on rearing practices, after all we do RCTs in medical situations, and the stakes are as high, or even higher there, because people can die.

Indeed, FAILING to do RCTs is often, when carefully analysed, unethical.

[bobzone09]

Your dad sounds like the coolest fucking parent ever. You guys are extremely lucky to have had him raise you.

[02MisAnthrope]

Am I the only one who thinks that when people like her, that is Galef and Massimo Pigliucci speak about science, philosophy, especially the like that supports science, and rationality that it is almost like a religion/cult mentality. They all say the same things and watch the same things and read the same things. Not that the real religionists don't, but as I said these people got some groupthink going.

[tubester4567]

Very interesting videos, thank you.

[RocknCorruptrepublic]

Is it possible.. to internalize this type of thinking as a child.. and not be able to identify why? (lol at the irony of this question...) for instance how I automatically react to:

"...peanut butter and something that was regurgitated by an insect." ---"..okay?"

"...what are you thinking?" --"I'm not sure exactly..." --"you're so indecisive!" --"STFU"

"..how are you feeling?" "...ummm..tired?"

"...WOW why are you so judgmental and arrogant?" --"SHUT UP YOU'RE BEING IRRATIONAL!""

lol.....

[David Burns]

Dad must be very proud. What happened to the couch?

[carlos segura]

It is sad that when I mention to my peers and friends that I don't lie to my kids about stuff like Santa Claus, the Easter bunny because I want them to develop a genuine curiosity in science they think I'm robbing them from their childhood