To the extent that harshness is an EA norm, I think itâs inherited from rationalist culture. In my experience with spaces like LessWrong, quite jarring critiques are fairly normal even for trivial things (e.g. âthat argument is stupidâ). There, bluntness is viewed as efficiency, getting bad ideas off the table faster.
EA spaces are optimized for a different goal, and tone matters for that goal. We need people to feel welcomed, encouraged, and inspired to contribute; not like theyâre auditioning for a role in a debate team. A good measure of how well weâre doing on this is the fear people have of posting on the forum.
I havenât read titotalâs post, so I wonât comment on that case, but Iâve definitely noticed the broader pattern Alfredo is pointing out. And I think we should be intentional about whether it serves the kind of community we want to build.
Thank you for this comment! As someone fairly new to the EA space, this has been one of the things Iâve noticed (and honestly, had made me terrified to post anythingâeven this reply). Rationality and truthseeking are essential, but so is considering HOW your argument/âpoint will be interpreted or receivedâespecially if a main goal is to build the movement (which I donât think anyone would disagree with).
To the extent that harshness is an EA norm, I think itâs inherited from rationalist culture. In my experience with spaces like LessWrong, quite jarring critiques are fairly normal even for trivial things (e.g. âthat argument is stupidâ). There, bluntness is viewed as efficiency, getting bad ideas off the table faster.
EA spaces are optimized for a different goal, and tone matters for that goal. We need people to feel welcomed, encouraged, and inspired to contribute; not like theyâre auditioning for a role in a debate team. A good measure of how well weâre doing on this is the fear people have of posting on the forum.
I havenât read titotalâs post, so I wonât comment on that case, but Iâve definitely noticed the broader pattern Alfredo is pointing out. And I think we should be intentional about whether it serves the kind of community we want to build.
Thank you for this comment! As someone fairly new to the EA space, this has been one of the things Iâve noticed (and honestly, had made me terrified to post anythingâeven this reply). Rationality and truthseeking are essential, but so is considering HOW your argument/âpoint will be interpreted or receivedâespecially if a main goal is to build the movement (which I donât think anyone would disagree with).