Published on September 19, 2025 12:45 PM GMT
Context
Hello, community.
I want to present a character I've been developing. The goal is to bring some of the concepts we discuss here on LessWrong to a more general audience through social media. The idea is to use the format of a "pastor" to explore themes of rationality, uncertainty, and self-improvement in an accessible and entertaining way.
Here is the concept:
Character Concept: Pastor Selfie
- Motto: "I want to be the world's greatest pastor, except I have no faith."Mission: I'm looking to build my belief system from scratch (± margin of error).Promise: Salvation is near! (With a 1 in 10 chance).
Core Principles of the Character
To maintain consistency, I have defined the following rules:
The character WILL:
- Show determination, but only regarding his own improvement process.Ask more questions than he answers.Share his personal doubts and vulnerability.Invite the audience to doubt along with him.
The character WILL NOT:
- Directly quote authors or theoretical concepts.Use technical terms (e.g., "cognitive bias," "heuristic").Preach from a position of superiority or authority.
Project Goals
- To question "selfishly": To frame the search around obtaining more pleasure, motivation, and better personal outcomes.To use gentle satire and irony: To expose his own mistakes and flawed reasoning, inviting self-reflection without aggression.To search for better questions: Instead of giving answers, he will focus on finding the right questions to become a better "pastor/follower" and make fewer mistakes.To create fun "rituals": To design memorable actions that reinforce critical thinking concepts (e.g., "Bayesian dances" to update one's beliefs).
In essence, this character seeks to promote critical thinking and embracing uncertainty through short-form videos on social media.
Content Strategy: The Pastor's Possible Steps
- Recognition: Acknowledging that he makes mistakes and that, in his own way, he wants to be "saved."Investigation: Searching for the most common errors he might be making.Analysis: Looking for the origin of his errors (desire, expectations, etc.).Calibration: Learning to adjust expectations for goals that function like "bets."Action: Formulating the first question for a personal, measurable bet.
Sample Script - Video 1: "The Genesis of Confusion"
(The character is in his room, adopting a slightly solemn tone)
PASTOR SELFIE: A moment of revelation. There is someone here who is suffering... and that someone is me.
(He exhales, his posture relaxing)
PASTOR SELFIE: I want to be the world's top pastor, but... I have no faith. Not yet.
(He makes an imaginary "selfie" gesture with his hand)
PASTOR SELFIE: That's why I'll be here, writing my own bible from scratch. Utterly confusing and perfect... using ideas from the internet. And... I've already blown it. I thought it would be easy, but ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini all contradict each other. It seems like they're hallucinating.
(He looks at the camera, genuinely lost)
PASTOR SELFIE: So where do I start, my fellow brothers and sisters of doubt? What is the fundamental question? What should I put in the first chapter, in "The Genesis of my Confusion"? Could you send me a video or an idea that could help me deliver an "Amen" with 99% confidence?
Proposed Video Description
"Salvation is near. As near as a one-in-ten chance. But a possibility is infinitely more than zero. Let's cling to that decimal as if it were the only solid ground in an ocean of chaos. Amen (subject to revision)."
Content Ideas, Phrases, and Rituals
- Key phrase on uncertainty: "Both blessed and unblessed until God opens the box 📦."Justifying his internal conflict: (Dramatic pause) "Why do I preach in shorts? Simple: one part of me wants to be a pastor... and the other part wants to run for the hills. I'm not great at making decisions in this chaotic world."On probability and action: "Today, I'm betting 1-in-10 that this belief will save me... if I lose, I'll dance away my error to gain motivation."Belief-Updating Ritual: "Yesterday, I was 80% confident that waking up early would save me. Today, I hit the snooze button five times. (Does a little dance move) Belief update! My faith in waking up early is now at 30%. Hallelujah for new data!"Ritual - "The Baptism of Doubt": He invites his followers to look in the mirror and say out loud: "Today, I have no idea what I'm doing, and that's okay."Ritual - "The Selfie of Uncertainty": "I invite you to the first rite of our congregation: take a selfie right now, with whatever face you have, and admit out loud one thing you have absolutely no clue about. My confession is this: I don't know if I'm looking for salvation or just an excuse not to feel so lonely."Recurring closing line: "Amen (provisionally)" or "Amen (subject to revision)."Possible performance idea: A "kata of doubt," mixing martial arts stances with expressions of deep confusion.
Notes on Staging (Performance)
- Opening gesture: Point the camera at himself as if taking a selfie, then turn it toward the audience as if giving a blessing. Start with a confident, authoritative sentence, only to immediately break it with a confession of his own suffering or doubt.Gesture for clarity ("The Broken Hero"): When he lands on a concept, instead of a full hero pose, he does a flawed version: he strikes a confident, heroic pose for a second, only to reveal that his confidence comes from something trivial, like finding a coin in his pocket.Gesture for uncertainty ("The Probabilistic Amen"): Raise both hands to the sky with total faith, then slowly lower them while verbalizing his actual confidence percentage in the idea.
Discuss
