Confusingly, the way “cause-neutral” was used there directly contradicts its use here: there, it meant avoiding cause-impartially favoring a specific cause based on its apparent expected value, in favor of a cause-partial commitment to pet causes like rationality and EA capacity-building. (Admittedly, at the organizational level it often makes sense to codify some “pet causes” even if in principle the individuals in that organization are trying to maximize global welfare impartially.)
The discussion of CFAR’s pivot to focusing on existential risk seemed to use “cause-neutral” to mean something like “cause-general”.
Confusingly, the way “cause-neutral” was used there directly contradicts its use here: there, it meant avoiding cause-impartially favoring a specific cause based on its apparent expected value, in favor of a cause-partial commitment to pet causes like rationality and EA capacity-building. (Admittedly, at the organizational level it often makes sense to codify some “pet causes” even if in principle the individuals in that organization are trying to maximize global welfare impartially.)