Executive summary: The post outlines two potential pitfalls when building community among young people in effective altruism: 1) Difficulty leaving EA due to youth and uncertainty, and 2) EA filling unintentional roles in young peoples’ lives.
Key points:
Young people may stay in EA due to status quo bias and EA’s ability to offer career paths, meaning, and community. This may prevent valuable “off-boarding.”
EA can fill holes in young peoples’ lives in unintended ways. This could lead some to accept suboptimal jobs or personal costs in pursuit of EA alignment.
Some may overoptimize on “getting an EA job” without internalizing EA principles. This could erode epistemic rigor over time.
Worth considering if these dynamics factor into outreach to youth and university students. How to encourage reflection on if EA meets personal needs beyond stated goals.
Advice-givers should consider potential biases and pressures those new to EA may face. Highlight options beyond explicit EA alignment.
This comment was auto-generated by the EA Forum Team. Feel free to point out issues with this summary by replying to the comment, andcontact us if you have feedback.
Executive summary: The post outlines two potential pitfalls when building community among young people in effective altruism: 1) Difficulty leaving EA due to youth and uncertainty, and 2) EA filling unintentional roles in young peoples’ lives.
Key points:
Young people may stay in EA due to status quo bias and EA’s ability to offer career paths, meaning, and community. This may prevent valuable “off-boarding.”
EA can fill holes in young peoples’ lives in unintended ways. This could lead some to accept suboptimal jobs or personal costs in pursuit of EA alignment.
Some may overoptimize on “getting an EA job” without internalizing EA principles. This could erode epistemic rigor over time.
Worth considering if these dynamics factor into outreach to youth and university students. How to encourage reflection on if EA meets personal needs beyond stated goals.
Advice-givers should consider potential biases and pressures those new to EA may face. Highlight options beyond explicit EA alignment.
This comment was auto-generated by the EA Forum Team. Feel free to point out issues with this summary by replying to the comment, and contact us if you have feedback.