Anthology Introduction (expand)

In 2010, Eliezer Yudkowsky unleashed a striking new subgenre upon the SF/F world when he posted the first chapter of the soon-to-become epic fanfic “Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality.” Yudkowsky had already drawn attention in tech and futurist circles, as the author of a long-running series of essays that focused on improving clarity of thinking. Upon incorporated these principles into his fiction, he found himself scratching a literary itch that had been growing for years. The popularity of this seminal work exploded. Quickly the audience that loved this style came together, and they began to pursue it relentlessly. They dubbed it “Rational Fiction.”

From this pursuit came the question “Aside from Yudkowsky’s works… just what is Rational Fiction?” As people sought to find and recommend Rational Fiction, they needed a way to define it. After years of conversation and much spilled ink, a wary consensus emerged among the fan base.

It’s been said that “…the mere act of creating a word can cause your mind to allocate a category, and thereby trigger unconscious inferences of similarity.” This anthology is partly intended to be an instruction-by-example. Reading varied examples of Rational Fiction is what builds such inferences of similarity. Short form examples can be read far quicker than novels and series. And collecting many of them together in one location makes doing so convenient. I also comment in the individual introductions to each story why I think it displays the characteristics of Rational Fiction.

Of course, as a fan of the genre, I am also doing this because I think these stories are great. They don’t need any fancy theme tying them together, or weighty introductions to announce them. Anyone could sit down and just read the stories and have a fantastic time. But for those who are also interested in this whole “Rational Fiction” angle, well, I hope this is of value for you as well. 🙂

[note that this “online anthology” is just a fancy way to dress up a collection of links. Each link points to a site that holds publication rights to the story in question, and makes that story available online. None of the authors have been contacted, and there is no endorsement from any author or publisher.]



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