Thank you, Lizka, for this post. I focus on pandemic preparedness, and I had assumed that biosecurity was primarily a “longtermist” cause. I felt uncomfortable not having a settled personal view on longtermism as a philosophy. Reading your post and the linked references reassured me that it is fine not to claim longtermism as my motivation. I still want to learn more about moral philosophy to eventually form my own view on longtermism, but in the meantime I now think it is reasonable to say that I share the goals and the drive to contribute, even if my reasons do not fully align with those of longtermists. David Thorstad’s series also gave me some food for thought: https://reflectivealtruism.com/2023/11/18/exaggerating-the-risks-part-12-millett-and-snyder-beattie-on-biorisk/ - Do you know of any circulated survey that gives insights into what motivates EAs to work on this or that cause/intervention (i.e longtermist worldview or not)?
Thank you, Lizka, for this post. I focus on pandemic preparedness, and I had assumed that biosecurity was primarily a “longtermist” cause. I felt uncomfortable not having a settled personal view on longtermism as a philosophy. Reading your post and the linked references reassured me that it is fine not to claim longtermism as my motivation. I still want to learn more about moral philosophy to eventually form my own view on longtermism, but in the meantime I now think it is reasonable to say that I share the goals and the drive to contribute, even if my reasons do not fully align with those of longtermists. David Thorstad’s series also gave me some food for thought: https://reflectivealtruism.com/2023/11/18/exaggerating-the-risks-part-12-millett-and-snyder-beattie-on-biorisk/ - Do you know of any circulated survey that gives insights into what motivates EAs to work on this or that cause/intervention (i.e longtermist worldview or not)?