I like Ajeya’s metaphor of different “sects” of the EA movement being different stops on the “train to crazy town”:
So, you can think about the longtermist team as trying to be the best utilitarian philosophers they can be, and trying to philosophy their way into the best goals, and win that way. Where at least moderately good execution on these goals that were identified as good (with a lot of philosophical work) is the bet they’re making, the way they’re trying to win and make their mark on the world. And then the near-termist team is trying to be the best utilitarian economists they can be, trying to be rigorous, and empirical, and quantitative, and smart. And trying to moneyball regular philanthropy, sort of. And they see their competitive advantage as being the economist-y thinking as opposed to the philosopher-y thinking.
And so when the philosopher takes you to a very weird unintuitive place — and, furthermore, wants you to give up all of the other goals that on other ways of thinking about the world that aren’t philosophical seem like they’re worth pursuing — they’re just like, stop… I sometimes think of it as a train going to crazy town, and the near-termist side is like, I’m going to get off the train before we get to the point where all we’re focusing on is existential risk because of the astronomical waste argument. And then the longtermist side stays on the train, and there may be further stops.
The idea of neartermism and longtermism reflecting economist-like and philosopher-like ways of thinking struck a chord with me. I feel as if there are conflicting parts of me that want to follow different approaches to saving the world.
I like Ajeya’s metaphor of different “sects” of the EA movement being different stops on the “train to crazy town”:
The idea of neartermism and longtermism reflecting economist-like and philosopher-like ways of thinking struck a chord with me. I feel as if there are conflicting parts of me that want to follow different approaches to saving the world.