I also don’t know how much optics should factor into grantmaking decisions. One of the lessons that I hoped the movement learned from Wytham Abbey is to broaden our EV calculations for capacity-building projects to factor in potential criticism and backlash which would turn off new recruits (and thus have the net effect of diminishing capacity).
This project, frankly, reads like a joke and would surely be off-putting for some new EAs to learn about. It and similar projects have definitely made me second-guess my identification with this movement. That feels like a relevant factor in any CEA.
At least my grantmaking on the LTFF does not take into account such considerations naively in the way you suggest here (and is very unlikely to do so in the future).
I also don’t know how much optics should factor into grantmaking decisions. One of the lessons that I hoped the movement learned from Wytham Abbey is to broaden our EV calculations for capacity-building projects to factor in potential criticism and backlash which would turn off new recruits (and thus have the net effect of diminishing capacity).
This project, frankly, reads like a joke and would surely be off-putting for some new EAs to learn about. It and similar projects have definitely made me second-guess my identification with this movement. That feels like a relevant factor in any CEA.
At least my grantmaking on the LTFF does not take into account such considerations naively in the way you suggest here (and is very unlikely to do so in the future).