Idk I think it might be pretty hard to have a role like Head of Communications at CEA and then separately communicate your personal views about the same topics. Your position is rather unique for allowing that. I don’t see CEA becoming like MIRI in this respect. It comes across as though he’s saying this in his professional capacity when you hover over his account name and it says “Head of Communications at CEA”.
But the thing I think is most important about Shakeel’s job is that it means he should know better than to throw around and amplify allegations. A marked personal account would satisfy me but I would still hold it to a higher standard re:gossip since he’s supposed to know what’s appropriate. And I expect him to want EA orgs to succeed! I don’t think premature callouts for racism and demands to have already have apologized are good faith criticism to strengthen the community.
I mean, I want employees at EA orgs to try to make EA orgs succeed insofar as that does the most good, and try to make EA orgs fail insofar as that does the most good instead. Likewise, I want them to try to strengthen the EA community if their model says this is good, and to try to weaken it (or just ignore it) otherwise.
(Obviously, in each case I’d want them to be open and honest about what they’re trying to do; you can oppose an org you think is bad without doing anything unethical or deceptive.)
I’m not sure what I think CEA’s role should be in EA. I do feel more optimistic about EA succeeding if major EA orgs in general focus more on developing a model of the world and trying to do the most good under their idiosyncratic world-view, rather than trying to represent or reflect EA-at-large; and I feel more optimistic about EA if sending our best and brightest to work at EA orgs doesn’t mean that they have to do massively more self-censoring now.
Maybe CEA or CEA-comms is an exception, but I’m not sold yet. I do think it’s good to have high epistemic standards, but I see that as compatible with expressing personal feelings, criticizing other orgs, wanting specific EA orgs to fail, etc.
Idk I think it might be pretty hard to have a role like Head of Communications at CEA and then separately communicate your personal views about the same topics. Your position is rather unique for allowing that. I don’t see CEA becoming like MIRI in this respect. It comes across as though he’s saying this in his professional capacity when you hover over his account name and it says “Head of Communications at CEA”.
But the thing I think is most important about Shakeel’s job is that it means he should know better than to throw around and amplify allegations. A marked personal account would satisfy me but I would still hold it to a higher standard re:gossip since he’s supposed to know what’s appropriate. And I expect him to want EA orgs to succeed! I don’t think premature callouts for racism and demands to have already have apologized are good faith criticism to strengthen the community.
I mean, I want employees at EA orgs to try to make EA orgs succeed insofar as that does the most good, and try to make EA orgs fail insofar as that does the most good instead. Likewise, I want them to try to strengthen the EA community if their model says this is good, and to try to weaken it (or just ignore it) otherwise.
(Obviously, in each case I’d want them to be open and honest about what they’re trying to do; you can oppose an org you think is bad without doing anything unethical or deceptive.)
I’m not sure what I think CEA’s role should be in EA. I do feel more optimistic about EA succeeding if major EA orgs in general focus more on developing a model of the world and trying to do the most good under their idiosyncratic world-view, rather than trying to represent or reflect EA-at-large; and I feel more optimistic about EA if sending our best and brightest to work at EA orgs doesn’t mean that they have to do massively more self-censoring now.
Maybe CEA or CEA-comms is an exception, but I’m not sold yet. I do think it’s good to have high epistemic standards, but I see that as compatible with expressing personal feelings, criticizing other orgs, wanting specific EA orgs to fail, etc.