I also thought this when I first read that sentence on the site, but I find it difficult (as I’m sure its original author does) to communicate its meaning in a subtler way. I like your proposed changes, but to me the contrast presented in that sentence is the most salient part of EA. To me, the thought is something like this:
“Doing good feels good, and for that reason, when we think about doing charity, we tend to use good feeling as a guide for judging how good our act is. That’s pretty normal, but have you considered that we can use evidence and analysis to make judgments about charity?”
The problem IMHO is that without the contrast, the sentiment doesn’t land. No one, in general, disagrees in principle with the use of evidence and careful analysis: it’s only in contrast with the way things are typically done that the EA argument is convincing.
I would choose your statement over the current one.
I think the sentiment lands pretty well even with a very toned down statement. The movement is called “effective altruism”. I think often in groups are worried that outgroups will not get their core differences when generally that’s all outgroups know about them.
I don’t think that anyone who visits that website won’t think that effectiveness isn’t a core feature. And I don’t think we need to be patronising (as EAs are charactured as being in conversations I have) in order to make known something that everyone already knows.
I also thought this when I first read that sentence on the site, but I find it difficult (as I’m sure its original author does) to communicate its meaning in a subtler way. I like your proposed changes, but to me the contrast presented in that sentence is the most salient part of EA. To me, the thought is something like this:
“Doing good feels good, and for that reason, when we think about doing charity, we tend to use good feeling as a guide for judging how good our act is. That’s pretty normal, but have you considered that we can use evidence and analysis to make judgments about charity?”
The problem IMHO is that without the contrast, the sentiment doesn’t land. No one, in general, disagrees in principle with the use of evidence and careful analysis: it’s only in contrast with the way things are typically done that the EA argument is convincing.
I would choose your statement over the current one.
I think the sentiment lands pretty well even with a very toned down statement. The movement is called “effective altruism”. I think often in groups are worried that outgroups will not get their core differences when generally that’s all outgroups know about them.
I don’t think that anyone who visits that website won’t think that effectiveness isn’t a core feature. And I don’t think we need to be patronising (as EAs are charactured as being in conversations I have) in order to make known something that everyone already knows.