I do think that our tendency to understand “helping people who currently exist” as “helping people in extreme poverty” probably neglects some other effective causes in that area. Some of Open Phil’s work I see this way—for example, the possibility that US criminal justice policy is so bonkers that in the right circumstances, we could create lots of good for current people through political change on that front. If EA Policy Analytics ends up having success, I would put them in this category, too.
I do think that our tendency to understand “helping people who currently exist” as “helping people in extreme poverty” probably neglects some other effective causes in that area. Some of Open Phil’s work I see this way—for example, the possibility that US criminal justice policy is so bonkers that in the right circumstances, we could create lots of good for current people through political change on that front. If EA Policy Analytics ends up having success, I would put them in this category, too.