I see that it may seem surprising at first glance that education doesn’t correlate positively with our two scales. (Like David, I am not sure if the negative correlation will hold up.) It seems surprising because we know that most existing highly engaged EAs are highly educated (and likely have high cognitive abilities). But what this lack of positive correlation shows is simply that high education (and probably also high cognitive abilities) is not required to intuitively share the core moral values of EA.
As we point out in the article, there are likely several additional factors that predict whether someone will become a highly engaged EA. And it’s possible that education (and likely high cognitive abilities) is such an additional, and psychologically separate, factor.
I see that it may seem surprising at first glance that education doesn’t correlate positively with our two scales. (Like David, I am not sure if the negative correlation will hold up.) It seems surprising because we know that most existing highly engaged EAs are highly educated (and likely have high cognitive abilities). But what this lack of positive correlation shows is simply that high education (and probably also high cognitive abilities) is not required to intuitively share the core moral values of EA.
As we point out in the article, there are likely several additional factors that predict whether someone will become a highly engaged EA. And it’s possible that education (and likely high cognitive abilities) is such an additional, and psychologically separate, factor.