My falling-out with the rationalist community

# Summary The author, a long-time member of the rationalist community, discusses why he has become disillusioned with the movement despite initially being drawn to its emphasis on scientific skepticism over pseudoscience. He traces how the community evolved from principled debunking of fringe beliefs into a more aggressive, sometimes cruel enterprise that he argues lost sight of intellectual humility. The piece serves as a personal critique of how rationalism's "brilliant marketing" and intoxicating sense of intellectual superiority can obscure problematic behavior, with recent scandals like Sam Bankman-Fried and an alleged cult further validating his concerns.