Hmm, so my model is that the books are given out without significant EA affiliation, together with a pamphlet for SPARC and ESPR. I also know that HPMoR is already relatively widely known among math olympiad participants. Those together suggest that it’s unlikely this would cause much reputational damage to the EA community, given that none of this contains an explicit reference to the EA community (and shouldn’t, as I have argued below).
The outcome might be that some people might start disliking HPMoR, but that doesn’t seem super bad and of relatively little downside. Maybe some people will start disliking CFAR, though I think CFAR on net benefits a lot more from having additional people who are highly enthusiastic about it, than it suffers from people who kind-of dislike it.
I have some vague feeling that there might be some more weird downstream effects of this, but I don’t think I have any concrete models of how they might happen, and would be interested in hearing more of people’s concerns.
Hmm, so my model is that the books are given out without significant EA affiliation, together with a pamphlet for SPARC and ESPR. I also know that HPMoR is already relatively widely known among math olympiad participants. Those together suggest that it’s unlikely this would cause much reputational damage to the EA community, given that none of this contains an explicit reference to the EA community (and shouldn’t, as I have argued below).
The outcome might be that some people might start disliking HPMoR, but that doesn’t seem super bad and of relatively little downside. Maybe some people will start disliking CFAR, though I think CFAR on net benefits a lot more from having additional people who are highly enthusiastic about it, than it suffers from people who kind-of dislike it.
I have some vague feeling that there might be some more weird downstream effects of this, but I don’t think I have any concrete models of how they might happen, and would be interested in hearing more of people’s concerns.
Not the book giveaway itself, but posting grant information like this can be very bad PR.
I think I agree, but why do you think so?
I’ve seen it happen. A grant like this should either not be made, or made in private. Regardless of how well people behave themselves on this forum.