I think a highly rational person would have high moral uncertainty at this point and not necessarily be described as "altruistic". - Wei Dai

One solution <nowiki>[</nowiki>to the problem that high status might cause stupidity<nowiki>]</nowiki> that might work (and I think has worked for me, although I didn't consciously choose it) is to periodically start over. Once you've achieved recognition in some area, and no longer have as much interest in it as you used to, go into a different community focused on a different topic, and start over from a low-status (or at least not very high status) position.

Does anyone not have any problems with taking ideas seriously? I think I'm in this category because ideas like cryonics, the Singularity, <nowiki>[</nowiki>unfriendly artificial intelligence<nowiki>]</nowiki>, and Tegmark's mathematical universe were all immediately obvious to me as ideas to take seriously, and I did so without much conscious effort or deliberation.

<nowiki>[</nowiki>By the way<nowiki>]</nowiki>, since you are advising high school students and undergrads, I suggest that you mention to them that they can start being independent researchers before they graduate from college. For example I came up with my b-money idea (a precursor to Bitcoin) as an undergrad, and was also already thinking about some of the questions that would eventually lead to <nowiki>[</nowiki>updateless decision theory<nowiki>]</nowiki>.