Thanks for the comment. If differences in careful thinking are the main sources of differences in people’s altruistic behavior and those differences can be easily eliminated through informing people about the benefits of thinking carefully, then I agree that the ideas in this post are not very important.
The reason that the second part is relevant is because as long as these differences in careful thinking persist, then it’s as if people have differences in values (this is the same as what I said in the essay about how there are a lot of differences in beliefs within the EA community which lead to different valuations of causes, even when people’s moral values are identical). If these differences in careful thinking were easily to eliminate, then we should be prioritizing informing the entire world about their mistakes ASAP, so that any differences in altruistic priorities would be eliminated. Unfortunately, I don’t think it’s true that these differences are easy to eliminate (I think that’s partially why the EA community has moved away from advocacy).
I also would disagree that differences in careful thinking are the main sources of disagreements in people’s altrusitic behavior. Even within the EA community, where I think most people think very carefully, there are large differences in people’s valuations of causes, as I mentioned in the post. I expect that the situation would be similar if the entire world started “thinking more carefully”.
Thanks for the comment. If differences in careful thinking are the main sources of differences in people’s altruistic behavior and those differences can be easily eliminated through informing people about the benefits of thinking carefully, then I agree that the ideas in this post are not very important.
The reason that the second part is relevant is because as long as these differences in careful thinking persist, then it’s as if people have differences in values (this is the same as what I said in the essay about how there are a lot of differences in beliefs within the EA community which lead to different valuations of causes, even when people’s moral values are identical). If these differences in careful thinking were easily to eliminate, then we should be prioritizing informing the entire world about their mistakes ASAP, so that any differences in altruistic priorities would be eliminated. Unfortunately, I don’t think it’s true that these differences are easy to eliminate (I think that’s partially why the EA community has moved away from advocacy).
I also would disagree that differences in careful thinking are the main sources of disagreements in people’s altrusitic behavior. Even within the EA community, where I think most people think very carefully, there are large differences in people’s valuations of causes, as I mentioned in the post. I expect that the situation would be similar if the entire world started “thinking more carefully”.