One concern I have about raising the salience of emotions in EA is that might more frequently turn into prospective incentives (generally bad) instead of retrospective motivation (generally good).
What I mean is that people might (naturally and likely unconsciously) gravitate towards projects and cause areas that inspire positive emotions (say, awe about the future) and away from those that induce negative ones (say, distress about suffering).
This seems right and is something EAs who resonate a lot with emotional pitches should be cautious of. A recommendation would be to first do cause prio at a rational, pragmatic level. Then, when digging into the problem you deem most important, try to find parts you can emotionally latch onto to keep you motivated.
Nice piece, and I mostly agree as written.
One concern I have about raising the salience of emotions in EA is that might more frequently turn into prospective incentives (generally bad) instead of retrospective motivation (generally good).
What I mean is that people might (naturally and likely unconsciously) gravitate towards projects and cause areas that inspire positive emotions (say, awe about the future) and away from those that induce negative ones (say, distress about suffering).
This seems right and is something EAs who resonate a lot with emotional pitches should be cautious of. A recommendation would be to first do cause prio at a rational, pragmatic level. Then, when digging into the problem you deem most important, try to find parts you can emotionally latch onto to keep you motivated.
Yes, totally agree!