The harsh crticism of EA has only been a good thing, forcing us to have higher standards and rigour. We don’t want an echochamber.
I would see it as a thoroughly good thing if Open Philanthropy were to combat the protrayal of itself as a shadowy cabal (like in the recent politico piece) for example by:
Having more democratic buy-in with the public
e.g. Having a bigger public presence in media, relying on a more diverse pool of funding than (i.e. less billionarie funding)
Engaged in less political lobbying
More transparent about the network of organisations around them
e.g. from the Politico article: ”… said Open Philanthropy’s use of Horizon … suggests an attempt to mask the program’s ties to Open Philanthropy, the effective altruism movement or leading AI firms”
I am not convinced that “having a bigger public presence in media” is a reliable way to get democratic buy-in. (There is also some “damned if you, damned if you don’t” dynamic going on here—if OP was constantly engaging in media interactions, they’d probably be accused of “unduly influencing the discourse/the media landscape”)
Could you describe what a more democratic OP would look like?
You mention “less billionaire funding”—OP was built on the idea of giving away Dustin’s and Cari’s money in the most effective way. OP is not fundraising, it is grantmaking! So how could it, as you put it, “rely on a more diverse pool of funding”?
(also: https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/zuqpqqFoue5LyutTv/the-ea-community-does-not-own-its-donors-money)
I also suspect we would see the same dynamic as above: If OP did actively try to secure additional money in the forms of government grants, they’d be maligned for absorbing public resources in spite of their own wealth.
I think a blanket condemnation of political lobbying or the suggestion to “do less” of it is not helpful. Advocating for better policies (in animal welfare, GHD, pandemic preparedness etc.) is in my view one of the most impactful things you can do. I fear we are throwing the baby out with the bathwater here.
The harsh crticism of EA has only been a good thing, forcing us to have higher standards and rigour. We don’t want an echochamber.
I would see it as a thoroughly good thing if Open Philanthropy were to combat the protrayal of itself as a shadowy cabal (like in the recent politico piece) for example by:
Having more democratic buy-in with the public
e.g. Having a bigger public presence in media, relying on a more diverse pool of funding than (i.e. less billionarie funding)
Engaged in less political lobbying
More transparent about the network of organisations around them
e.g. from the Politico article: ”… said Open Philanthropy’s use of Horizon … suggests an attempt to mask the program’s ties to Open Philanthropy, the effective altruism movement or leading AI firms”
I am not convinced that “having a bigger public presence in media” is a reliable way to get democratic buy-in. (There is also some “damned if you, damned if you don’t” dynamic going on here—if OP was constantly engaging in media interactions, they’d probably be accused of “unduly influencing the discourse/the media landscape”) Could you describe what a more democratic OP would look like?
You mention “less billionaire funding”—OP was built on the idea of giving away Dustin’s and Cari’s money in the most effective way. OP is not fundraising, it is grantmaking! So how could it, as you put it, “rely on a more diverse pool of funding”? (also: https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/zuqpqqFoue5LyutTv/the-ea-community-does-not-own-its-donors-money) I also suspect we would see the same dynamic as above: If OP did actively try to secure additional money in the forms of government grants, they’d be maligned for absorbing public resources in spite of their own wealth.
I think a blanket condemnation of political lobbying or the suggestion to “do less” of it is not helpful. Advocating for better policies (in animal welfare, GHD, pandemic preparedness etc.) is in my view one of the most impactful things you can do. I fear we are throwing the baby out with the bathwater here.