My notes on what I liked about the post, from the announcement:
It was good to see Carl react to positive feedback on a comment by turning said comment into a full-fledged post; I hope more users will consider doing the same!
This post is dense with information, and thus difficult to summarize, but here are some elements of it that I appreciated:
Carl uses evidence from a wide range of sources in EA, academia, and the broader world to make his points.
He also points at specific organizations (e.g. the Center for Global Development) that he thinks may be strong options based on his views about systemic change.
If youâve taken the time to develop a set of theories and beliefs, it can be really helpful to connect those to real-world actions youâd recommend.
(Note that Carl doesnât go as far as actively endorsing that readers donate to these organizations.)
The post at one point notes that, while Carl doesnât necessarily âendors[e] all the details ofâ an impact estimate from Letâs Fund, he does see it as a legitimate way to model a systemic intervention.
It can be easy to slip into categorizing things as either entirely good or entirely bad, and âmixedâ reviews of this type are a useful preventative measure against this. In a field where individuals and organizations are constantly trying to solve very difficult problems, it seems important to appreciate partial progress and steps taken in the right direction.
This post was awarded an EA Forum Prize; see the prize announcement for more details.
My notes on what I liked about the post, from the announcement: