I simultaneously have some sympathy for this view and think that people responding to this question by pushing their pet cause areas aren’t engaging well with the question as I understand it.
For example, I think that anti-ageing research is probably significantly underrated by EAs in general and would happily push for it in a question like “what cause areas are underrated by EAs”, but would not (and have not) reference it here as a “key ongoing debate in EA”, because I recognise that many people who aren’t already convinced wouldn’t consider it such.
So one criterion I might use would be whether disputants on both sides would consider the debate to be key.
I also agree with point (2) of Khorton’s response to this.
Thinking about this more, I suspect a lot of people would agree that some more general statement, like “What important cause areas is EA missing out on?” is a key ongoing debate, while being sceptical about most specific claimants to that status (because if most people weren’t sceptical, EA wouldn’t be missing out on that cause area).
I simultaneously have some sympathy for this view and think that people responding to this question by pushing their pet cause areas aren’t engaging well with the question as I understand it.
For example, I think that anti-ageing research is probably significantly underrated by EAs in general and would happily push for it in a question like “what cause areas are underrated by EAs”, but would not (and have not) reference it here as a “key ongoing debate in EA”, because I recognise that many people who aren’t already convinced wouldn’t consider it such.
So one criterion I might use would be whether disputants on both sides would consider the debate to be key.
I also agree with point (2) of Khorton’s response to this.
Thinking about this more, I suspect a lot of people would agree that some more general statement, like “What important cause areas is EA missing out on?” is a key ongoing debate, while being sceptical about most specific claimants to that status (because if most people weren’t sceptical, EA wouldn’t be missing out on that cause area).