> A purity spiral is a theory which argues for the existence of a form of groupthink in which it becomes more beneficial to hold certain views than to not hold them, and more extreme views are rewarded while expressing doubt, nuance, or moderation is punished (a process sometimes called "moral outbidding").[1] It is argued that this feedback loop leads to members competing to demonstrate the zealotry or purity of their views.[2][3]
Certainly something they're aware of - the same concept was discussed as early as in 2007 on Less Wrong under the name "evaporative cooling of group beliefs"
Eliezer Yudkowsky, shows little interest in running one. He has consistently been distant from and uninvolved in rationalist community-building efforts, from Benton House (the first rationalist group house) to today’s Lightcone Infrastructure (which hosts LessWrong, an online forum, and Lighthaven, a conference center). He surrounds himself with people who disagree with him, discourages social isolation.
Ummm, EY literally has a semi-permanent office in Lighthouse (at least until recently) and routinely blocks people on Twitter as a matter of course.
Blocking people on Twitter doesn't necessarily imply intolerance of people who disagree with you. People often block for different reasons than disagreement.
