The EA community seems to have a relatively weak internal support system, relative to other communities of mine (of similar size). I’ve confirmed this with other EAs. This is in terms of mentorship, providing opportunities for engagement, etc. For example, I think more people participating on this forum strengthens our internal support system! :)
Why is this? And what can we do to improve the situation (if anything)?
Animal rights, service organizations (e.g. Rotary Club (not of the same size, just an example of a service organization), churches, issue-focused groups (e.g. anti-abortion, Palestine solidarity groups), Marxism, Objectivism, women’s rights groups, etc. A lot of other social justice groups. You could also even include hobby groups (e.g. a local soccer club).
Note that there are obvious differences with any of these groups (e.g. churches are local, EA is global), but there are meaningful similarities (e.g. a local EA chapter is similar to a local Marxism chapter).
I think EA could gain a lot from strengthening these support systems, both in the global and local sense.
What do you mean by “internal support system”? I’ve personally found the EA community to have way more internal support system than other communities I’ve been involved in (atheism, rationalism, animal rights).
More meaningful interaction that increases social identity (e.g. Imagine you attend a local meeting of a Marxist group. Immediately someone greets you and asks about your background and what reservations you had about coming.) This has happened to me, and definitely strengthened my identity with that group.
For which other groups? It might be a matter of different people’s experiences. Or maybe EAs are a bit less savvy at social interaction than other groups. ;) The movement has been accused of being unwelcoming before.
I think to outreach more broadly support mechanisms become crucial. For much of the founding community altruism has been a matter of philosophical choice. For others coming in from a broader background being part of a community that values altruism and happiness will help transition to more generous giving. Normalising generous effective giving will require support. Churches as an example are all about support, but it has made them very introverted. The balance is to make the support and community conditional on the giving and the outward looking.
The EA community seems to have a relatively weak internal support system, relative to other communities of mine (of similar size). I’ve confirmed this with other EAs. This is in terms of mentorship, providing opportunities for engagement, etc. For example, I think more people participating on this forum strengthens our internal support system! :)
Why is this? And what can we do to improve the situation (if anything)?
What are some of these other communities of similar size that you have in mind?
Animal rights, service organizations (e.g. Rotary Club (not of the same size, just an example of a service organization), churches, issue-focused groups (e.g. anti-abortion, Palestine solidarity groups), Marxism, Objectivism, women’s rights groups, etc. A lot of other social justice groups. You could also even include hobby groups (e.g. a local soccer club).
Note that there are obvious differences with any of these groups (e.g. churches are local, EA is global), but there are meaningful similarities (e.g. a local EA chapter is similar to a local Marxism chapter).
I think EA could gain a lot from strengthening these support systems, both in the global and local sense.
What do you mean by “internal support system”? I’ve personally found the EA community to have way more internal support system than other communities I’ve been involved in (atheism, rationalism, animal rights).
More meaningful interaction that increases social identity (e.g. Imagine you attend a local meeting of a Marxist group. Immediately someone greets you and asks about your background and what reservations you had about coming.) This has happened to me, and definitely strengthened my identity with that group.
For which other groups? It might be a matter of different people’s experiences. Or maybe EAs are a bit less savvy at social interaction than other groups. ;) The movement has been accused of being unwelcoming before.
I think to outreach more broadly support mechanisms become crucial. For much of the founding community altruism has been a matter of philosophical choice. For others coming in from a broader background being part of a community that values altruism and happiness will help transition to more generous giving. Normalising generous effective giving will require support. Churches as an example are all about support, but it has made them very introverted. The balance is to make the support and community conditional on the giving and the outward looking.
Agreed.