I 100% agree with you on your general point, Akash, but I think something slightly different is going on here, and I think it’s important to get it right.
To me, it sounds like you’re saying, ‘Bob is developing a more healthy relationship with EA’. However, I think what’s actually happening is more like, ‘Bob used to think EA was a cool thing, and it helped him do cool things, but then people associated with it kept doing things Bob found repugnant, and so now Bob does not want anything to do with it’.
Bob, forgive me for speaking on your behalf, and please correct me if I have misinterpreted things.
A bit strong, but about right. The strategy the rationalists describe seems to stem from a desire to ensure their own intellectual development, which is, after all, the rationalist project. By disregarding social norms you can start conversing with lots of people about lots of stuff you otherwise wouldn’t have been able to. Tempting, however, my own (intellectual) freedom is not my primary concern; my primary concern is the overall happiness (or feelings, if you will) of others, and certain social norms are there to protect that.
To me, it sounds like you’re saying, ‘Bob is developing a more healthy relationship with EA’.
Oh just a quick clarification– I wasn’t trying to say anything about Bob or Bob’s relationship with EA here.
I just wanted to chime in with my own experience (which is not the same as Bob’s but shares one similarity in that they’re both in the “rethinking one’s relationship with the EA community/movement” umbrella).
More generally, I suspect many forum readers are grappling with this question of “what do I want my relationship with the EA community/movement to be”. Given this, it might be useful for more people to share how they’ve processed these questions (whether they’re related to the recent Manifold events or related to other things that have caused people to question their affiliation with EA).
I 100% agree with you on your general point, Akash, but I think something slightly different is going on here, and I think it’s important to get it right.
To me, it sounds like you’re saying, ‘Bob is developing a more healthy relationship with EA’. However, I think what’s actually happening is more like, ‘Bob used to think EA was a cool thing, and it helped him do cool things, but then people associated with it kept doing things Bob found repugnant, and so now Bob does not want anything to do with it’.
Bob, forgive me for speaking on your behalf, and please correct me if I have misinterpreted things.
A bit strong, but about right. The strategy the rationalists describe seems to stem from a desire to ensure their own intellectual development, which is, after all, the rationalist project. By disregarding social norms you can start conversing with lots of people about lots of stuff you otherwise wouldn’t have been able to. Tempting, however, my own (intellectual) freedom is not my primary concern; my primary concern is the overall happiness (or feelings, if you will) of others, and certain social norms are there to protect that.
Oh just a quick clarification– I wasn’t trying to say anything about Bob or Bob’s relationship with EA here.
I just wanted to chime in with my own experience (which is not the same as Bob’s but shares one similarity in that they’re both in the “rethinking one’s relationship with the EA community/movement” umbrella).
More generally, I suspect many forum readers are grappling with this question of “what do I want my relationship with the EA community/movement to be”. Given this, it might be useful for more people to share how they’ve processed these questions (whether they’re related to the recent Manifold events or related to other things that have caused people to question their affiliation with EA).